The Dark Wolf
by SoundShield11
Summary: Paul Origin story. Eventual M/M Slash. Join Paul as he discovers his wolf heritage, finds an imprint, and tries to battle his inner turmoil. Rated M for lemons later, language, and adult themes/situations. Paul X Seth. A bit AU/AH. Some OOC, non-canon.
1. Chapter 1: Iridescent

AN: Well, after a relatively positive response to my first story, I've decided to release the foundation chapter for my new fic. I won't be able to update daily this time, but it should be pretty regular. This one's a Paul "Origin" story, ultimately evolving into a Paul/Seth fic. That's right, Slash (M/M), and this time I plan to throw in some lemons. It will be slightly AU, as I have some pairings that I intend to change, and certain events may not turn out the same as in the original books.

Also, before I get started, I'd like to give a shoutout to Matt. Get well soon man, and I hope you enjoy this one when you get a chance to read it.

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing.

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><p>Without further ado, here's the first chapter of "The Dark Wolf"<p>

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><p>I looked at the odds before me. Sure, there may have been 3 of them, but it's not like any of them looked like they had much experience. They were bullies, picking on those that they thought would cower against them. They may have cornered me, but I was looking forward to this. Today they had chosen the wrong person.<p>

"We've had it with you, Lahote. Nobody sleeps with my girlfriend and walks away unharmed" one of the boys sneered. I guess now I knew why this particular group was after me. What can I say? Whether it's because of the thrill of danger or the idea of pissing off their parents by hooking up with a 'badass' as they put it, girls seem to be attracted to me, and I'm not one to turn them down.

"You need to learn your place around here, outsider" another one chided, cracking his knuckles.

I just smirked, waiting for them to make a move. They weren't smart enough to come at me at the same time, so when the first tried, I laid him out with an elbow to the side of the head. As the other two looked at their downed friend, I charged without warning. One quick hook to the smaller one had him out, leaving just the leader of the trio. He took a swing and connected, but I shrugged it off before getting in a quick knee to his stomach and a forceful push on the back of his neck, sending him face first into the ground. I looked at the three sprawled out before me, a grin plastered on my face.

"So, what _is_ my place? 'Cause from where I'm standing, it looks like it's on top." I chuckled, turning around and walking back to my house.

I walked in the front door and headed straight upstairs to my room, flopping down onto my bed. It was a shame that nobody really posed much of a challenge. I didn't really look for fights, but the easy ones that came were quickly losing their thrill and I was beginning to itch for something more.

I guess an introduction is in order. My name is Paul, Paul Lahote. I'm a 16 year old and they say that I have "anger issues" just because I happen to get in a fight every once in a while. I'm Native American, belonging to some tribe that my mom has mentioned before. Back when she was in high school, she had been in love with my dad, but apparently the thought of a kid was too much for him. He ditched when he found out that she was pregnant. Spineless bastard. Mom didn't give up though. She went through school, eventually getting her law degree. Since then, we'd been travelling throughout the country. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that she has provided for me over the years, but her job puts a constant strain on our relationship.

See, unlike most lawyers who just decide to work at a firm and practice in the big city, mom decided to travel, taking up cases across the United States. She specialized in helping the various tribes that were once a dominant part of the country. She's damned good at what she does, earning millions in reparations for almost every tribe that she's worked with. From what I could tell, she got a pretty good kickback as well, but she always tried to say that she was doing it for justice or some shit. It's not like I cared. All it meant for me was bouncing between reservations, schools, and never sticking around for long enough to feel like I had a real home.

Our current stop had put us in the mountains of northeastern Georgia. Apparently the Cherokee were engaged in some land war with the government, and she had been leading negotiations for a while. The kids hadn't taken too kindly to a newcomer, which wasn't all that surprising. Reservations were pretty close knit communities, and I'd seen this hostility on several of them before. Back when I was a kid, I had gotten my ass beat on a number of occasions, but by now I could handle myself quite well. In that respect, things were a lot easier. I had packed on a decent amount of muscle over the years, especially in recent months. I couldn't help but think that these people had something special in the water because I hadn't changed my daily routine and the results had improved dramatically. Nobody else seemed to be this ripped though, so I just accepted that my hard work was finally paying off.

I'd noticed that my anger had been peaking a lot more too. Don't get me wrong, growing up as an outcast I have developed a pretty quick temper and it didn't take too long before I was ready to fight. No friends, no consistency, parental issues, and personal demons that I don't really want to get into all had taken their toll over time. Rather than cry about it, I developed a cold shell for the world, never getting attached and lashing out at anyone who decided to try and cross me. That being said, I'd never possessed this much rage before. At times, I almost felt like I was having to hold back to keep from ripping everyone's head off. Maybe I do have anger issues, but it's not like I've hurt anyone too badly, and I didn't get into it with anyone that didn't deserve it. The fact that I'd made it all the way to summer without a fight here was impressive.

I laughed at the thought of all the people I had dealt with over the years. Mom always got angry when she found out, but after all this time, I just accepted it as part of life. I didn't seek confrontation out, but I was never going to back away from it. I just happened to be a "magnet for trouble" as I had so elegantly described it to mom on countless occasions. In the end, she'd give me some punishment and go back to whatever her current case was.

After resting on my bed for a few, I decided to mess around with my guitar for a bit to try and calm myself. It was the only way I'd discovered to relieve anger without having to punch anything. Unfortunately, angry playing led to a lot of snapped strings, but I always kept a spare set ready. Not like it was an expensive instrument anyway. Despite having money, I never really asked to be treated to nice things, with one exception: my car. Mom had asked me what car I would want without taking money into consideration. Some people would jump on the brand new models, but I had a passion for the classics. The restored 1968 Mustang Fastback sitting under a car cover in our gravel driveway was proof of that. Someone had modernized the sound system, but otherwise, the thing was as close to stock as you could get. I still think that it was bought out of guilt for all of the instability in our lives, but I wasn't going to argue about why I had my dream car. Other than that beautiful deviation, I liked to keep things simple.

My ears perked up as I heard her mom's approaching on the gravel outside of our house. She wasn't supposed to be in yet, so I could only imagine that she had somehow already found out about my little altercation. She slammed the door to the house before I heard her stomps coming up the stairs. "Here we go again," I muttered to myself, placing the guitar back in the corner.

She slung open the door, an angry look upon her face. Which was it going to be this time? Could be the "I'm disappointed" talk or the "you're lucky that they're not calling the police" line or any of the other speeches that she had in her repertoire. I looked at her, awaiting the reaction to my most recent exchange.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" She started. "I give you everything you need, and this is how you repay me? I swear, sometimes I feel like you've made it your mission to make my life hell! Here I am, helping these people, and you can't help yourself but to go and antagonize them. I was supposed to be able to celebrate finally settling the case today, but you just had to ruin it! Why can't you just be a normal kid for once?" She angrily shouted, staring at me the whole time.

I don't know if it was this different approach or if my new rage set me off, but that was all I could take. "You act like I seek out this shit! If it wasn't for you, maybe I'd have a chance at normalcy, but no, you have to go on your goodwill missions across the country and drag me with you. How am I supposed to ever be normal when I can't make friends or settle in somewhere! Not that I'd want to associate with most of the people that we meet in these godforsaken places. I'm always an outsider, and I only fight to protect myself. Those little punks deserved it!" I snarled, the anger rising under my skin.

"I will not talk to you like this!" She screamed. "I'll be back when you're ready to show some respect" she finished, slamming my door.

I felt my body convulsing as the rage consumed me. I was done trying to pin it back and let it completely take over as I lashed out, punching a whole in my wall. The next thing I knew, everything was changing. My bones were stretching and I could feel an itch as thick grey hair began spreading everywhere. I looked down to see paws replacing my hands and feet as my clothes shredded around me. "What the hell is going on?" I tried to ask, but all that came out was a loud snarl.

The animal inside of me wanted to escape the confines of my bedroom, but we were trapped. I couldn't fit through my door and the window was even smaller. I was beginning to panic when I saw the door knob beginning to turn, the sounds inside probably catching mom's attention. I swung my head back and forth, looking for a possible way out. The only thing that accomplished was to send a sharp pain through my skull as I knocked my dresser over. Mom opened the door and gasped at the sight before her. "Shit…" she muttered, but instead of running like any sane person would, she began to approach my growling form.

It took everything I had to quell the fear and anger coursing through my veins. I ultimately just submitted to the tidal wave of emotions and lay on the floor, whimpering. I always knew that I was angry, but I never thought that I was a fucking monster. I looked up suddenly as I felt a hand on my neck. "Shh, baby. You need to calm down." She softly whispered, rubbing my fur. "Hold on, while I get someone to help explain this" she said, pulling out her phone.

Who was she calling? The psychiatric ward? Animal control? I listened, trying to figure out what she had planned for me. It made no sense that she was the calm one in this situation.

"Hi, Billy? It's Nancy Lahote. I need to ask you, has a new pack formed back home?" My ears perked up, but I couldn't figure out what the voice on the other line was saying. Pack? Where there others? Had she known this could happen? All of these thoughts crossed my mind as I continued listening to her conversation.

"Well, I had a feeling that the gene had to have activated. I'm sitting here with my son…who is currently a wolf" She added. "Can you get in contact with whoever the Alpha is so that we can figure out if Paul has any connection to the pack there? … Thanks, Billy" she finished, hanging up the phone and sighing heavily. So, apparently I wasn't hallucinating and I was a…wolf? As important as that was, why wasn't mom freaked out by it? I still had no clue what was happening.

"I really hoped that if I got you far enough away, this would never happen" she said, shaking her head. A few moments later, I felt like we weren't alone.

"Who are you?" A voice asked. I looked around, but didn't see anyone else in the room. Mom could see the new rush of confusion in my eyes. "Guess that answers my question. Hearing voices?" she asked. I simply nodded, stunned that she seemed to be way more understanding than I was right now. "I guess that the pack tie is by tribe, no matter the distance…" she pondered. "The voice is someone that you're linked to, and if Billy did as I asked, that would be your Alpha. Go ahead and try talking with him." she finished, as if this were as ordinary as a phone call between friends.

"How am I supposed to communicate with a voice in my head?" I thought. "Just like that" the voice answered.

"Wait…you can hear my thoughts?" I asked, suddenly alarmed.

"Yeah, it's a wolf thing. I take it you have absolutely no idea what's going on do you?" He questioned.

"If you can read my thoughts, don't you already know that?" I quipped, already getting irritated at the voice.

"Well, well, somebody's chipper. I guess I'll explain…" and with that, the voice started talking about legends, werewolves, vampires, imprinting (which seemed like a blessing and a curse), and all sorts of other things that were the core of so many fairy tales. If I wasn't sitting in my room as a wolf, I'd have asked what he was smoking.

He went on for a while before I finally asked how the hell to change back, praying that I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life as an animal. His talk about being in a pack and other parts of the legends were beginning to bore me. I had no real ties to him or his people, so why I was expected to help fight against 'cold ones' was beyond me. If nothing else, I was in Georgia and he had said something about Washington state. The sooner I broke ties with him, the better. "You simply have to calm down and imagine yourself in your human form" the voice responded. "Also, call me Sam. Being referred to as 'the voice' is getting old." He chuckled. "Smart ass…" I grunted, trying to will myself to be calm. After a solid 5 minutes, I finally felt the change taking place.

I crouched on the floor, panting from the energy it took to transform my body. Mom ran over to me, pulling me into a tight hug. "I guess there are some things that I need to explain..." she said softly. "...After you get some rest. You look exhausted." She finished, picking up a pair of shorts and throwing them at me. I collapsed back on the bed, trying to piece together what had happened in the last few hours. I began to feel just how tired I was and decided to allow the sleep to wash over me. I'd search for answers tomorrow…

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><p>Well, there it is, Chapter 1. What do you think? Worth continuing? Reviews are appreciated.<p>

Also, Linkin Park's "Iridescent" is really driving my thoughts on this story. I was tempted to add lyrics, but FFNet has some policies that I didn't really want to think about, so no lyrics, but if there's ever a song that comes to mind throughout the story, I'll note it in the post-chapter notes.


	2. Chapter 2: Move Along

AN: Well everyone, here's chapter 2 of TDW. After some positive reviews to the first chapter, I hope that this one doesn't disappoint. As always, reviews are appreciated. I've decided to create a name for each chapter as well. It may be a song title or something else that I feel fits. I'll try to explain it in the footnote of the chapter, particularly if it's a song. Also, my goal for this story is to be able to post 2-3 times per week. We'll see how it goes, as work may drain me for a bit.

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns this universe, I just manipulate it.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

rAbiDmutt03, tinker03: Glad you liked it and hope that you continue to do so!

Blaidd Du: Yeah, I finally quit dancing around with it and posted. Glad you enjoyed it and I hope that it lives up to expectations.

oh2byoung: Hope you two are doing well. Good luck on the op, and hope that this provides some entertainment/distraction for you.

Hank's Lady: Good to hear that you liked it :) And yes, Paul does have a few of my personal loves built into him hehe. I mean...the alternative was something flashy, but I felt that the classic fit him better.

iJeedai: Glad you enjoyed the start. And yes, I do think Paul is good on top in most situations hehe

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><p>When I awoke the next morning, I immediately wished that I hadn't. My entire body ached and abrupt movements caused even sharper pains. Couple that with a migraine and I was completely miserable. I fought my way to the kitchen to grab a few painkillers, hoping to make things more bearable. After downing them, I positioned myself on the couch, planning to get through the day with as little movement as possible.<p>

Mom came down about an hour later. I was surprised she didn't have to be at work, but I vaguely remembered her mentioning that the case had finally been finished. I only hoped that it meant that we could get out of this place. This had been one of the most boring reservations that we'd stayed on and I could only expect that hostility would increase after my recent bout with those 3 kids.

"You look terrible, but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. They always said that the first phase took a lot out of a person." She said, keeping her voice lower than usual. She had quickly caught on to my splitting headache. Even with her hushed tone, I was discovering that my hearing was a lot more sensitive than it had been.

"Yeah, can't say that this is the best I've ever felt" I mumbled. After hesitating for a few moments, I finally decided to ask the question that had been burning in my mind since this began. "How did you know what was going on? I mean, I was completely terrified, but you seemed…eerily calm."

"Well Paul, I had hoped that you weren't going to be involved. I grew up on the Quileute legends and always noticed that they were extremely well-documented. After studying them – and noticing similarities with accounts from other tribes that we've visited over the years – I came to the conclusion that they might be more than just tales. I wasn't sure how the packs or gene activated, but I believed that you not being in La Push would eliminate the threat of it happening to you. Obviously I was wrong." She summarized.

So…in the course of our travels, she had found other tribes with shifter legends? I guess that meant that her people weren't the only ones. Regardless, I was connected with her tribe by blood, which is why Sam had been able to communicate with me. This was all still confusing, but after the initial rush of turning into a wild beast and hearing Sam's explanation, it was beginning to come together.

"What does this mean then?" I asked. I had no idea how this was going to change the way we did things.

"Well, it looks like we're moving to La Push. Considering that I just finished up what I needed to do here, there's nothing really holding us in Georgia. Plus, since you're part of the pack there, you're needed and expected to help them, whatever that entails. I'll call up a realtor and find out what's available in the area, but it'll be convenient for you to be on the reservation itself. I'm sorry that it means that we're packing up again, but this will be the last time…"

"You're really quick to give up your work. After all this time of being nomads, you're ready to settle down just because I'm expected to be there?" I asked, not really believing her.

"Yes, Paul. I have a duty to the tribe, just as you do. And it's a bit of a homecoming I guess. I'm sure that I'll be able to do some postive things there." She said, unwavering in her decision.

"Fine then, it seems like you've made the decision. Not like I really care anyway. I hate it here and La Push is just going to be another reservation to deal with. Just know that I don't really care about those people, and I don't owe them anything. I don't care what they expect of me, I'm not going to bend over backwards to make them happy." I stated, angry that she felt that I should feel some connection to a people I had never known.

"Whatever you say, Paul. You may not know them, but if the tribe is anything like what I left, I think that you'll come to care more about them. It's your heritage, whether you like it or not. I just hope that you'll keep an open mind with them and at least give the people a chance." She finished, getting up and going into her office. I guess she was going to start working on finding us a new place.

The pain began to dull down as time passed. Over the next few days we packed what we owned and brought in movers to help load the truck. This place had been furnished for us, so we only really had to deal with things like clothes, kitchen stuff, electronics, and various other personal items. Apparently mom had gotten a place on the edge of the reservation, near the beach that she had loved as a child. She had already ordered furniture that was to be there, ready to be moved, in when we arrived. Talk about something to look forward to…

Once we were done packing, mom sent the truck out, my precious Mustang hitched to the back, car cover in place. If there was one scratch on it when we got to Washington, I was going to kill the truck driver. We both got in mom's car and began our journey to the northwest. I was all too ready to get out of here, but I had no doubt that the next few days of travel were going to feel like weeks…

I had expected to be annoyed spending this much time with mom, but I had to admit that learning what she knew about being a wolf was fascinating. I always thought that she was focused on her cases, but she had done a lot of personal reading over the years and was well-versed in what my being a shifter meant. We discussed the legends of different tribes and eventually the topic of my father came up. Apparently he was one of the few that could pass down the gene according to some massive family tree that led back to the descendants of the last pack. I suddenly realized that the bastard had influenced me without ever being a part of my life. It was _his_ fault that I had this curse…

We finally crossed into Washington, and I had a strange sense of anxiety. I was used to moving around, but the thought that this could be more permanent left me unsettled. The thought of being disconnected had always been a part of my life and I didn't know how to handle the idea of a permanent place to live. If I was as connected as mom said, I was going to be stuck here, one way or the other. Once again, I'd be an outsider, but what were they going to be like? Some of the reservations we had lived in had at least given me my space. I could only hope for that positive of a welcome. This new power and rage would not go well if I was in continuous fights…

Aside from that, what did they expect of me? I was sure that I'd have to meet with this Sam guy since he was apparently my Alpha or something, but I had no idea if I wanted to associate with him. Did I even have a choice in the matter? What did being a wolf mean to the people there?

So yeah…my mind was plagued with a lot of questions. Mom tried to relax me, but the closer we got, the more I wanted to just escape. Being detached had served me well and I wasn't sure if I could handle the change.

I watched as the cities began to pass by. Eventually we were in Forks, a town that mom had said would serve as the closest place to go for anything that wasn't available on the reservation. It didn't take long until we were through the small town and I looked out the window as we crossed onto the reservation. The houses looked mostly the same and were relatively small. I could smell the ocean and knew that we must be approaching our new house. As if on cue, we made a quick turn and slowed in front of a nice looking two story house. I was actually surprised that it looked to be in good condition.

"Previous owners passed away. The remaining family that inherited it didn't want to move here, so they paid to get it fixed up and sold as quickly as possible." She explained.

The furniture truck was waiting for us, but we decided to go in first to look the place over. It was surprisingly modern looking. The kitchen had nice appliances and the hardwood floor was nicely finished. There was a small half bathroom, living room, and office on the ground floor as well. There were three bedrooms upstairs and mom naturally took the master. She gave me the choice between the other two, and I picked the one further from hers, hoping that it'd give me more privacy and the ability to play my music without disturbing her whenever I needed to. She said that the other one was for guests, but I doubted that we'd ever have any of those.

After scoping out the place, we began dealing with the movers. I helped carry things as mom barked out locations for everything. She had gotten each of us a queen sized bed, with a full for the spare room. The dresser and everything else she had picked for my room were simple but nice. She had decided to splurge and get leather for the living room, as well as a nicely crafted desk for her office. After everything was loaded into the appropriate rooms, I was exhausted and decided to take a nap on the new couch while mom went to get things like sheets and other quick essentials. She knew that I'd just want something plain, so I didn't bother going with her. Judging by how quickly I fell asleep, I had a feeling that I was going to love this couch.

I woke up to the smell of food as mom walked in. She sent me out to grab what she'd bought and had me drop them off in the living room. As I had expected, she had gone with a simple navy blue bedding set for me, which was perfectly fine. After that we ate and she headed up to make up her bed and sort out the rest of her purchases before turning in for an early night. Having just taken a nap, I decided to head out and get oriented with the reservation. If nothing else, I really wanted to walk along the beach. We had lived near one a few years ago and I always had found it soothing.

I took off my shoes and headed straight for the path that mom had told me led to the ocean. It only took a few minutes before there was sand beneath my feet and I quickly came to the water front. I took off along the water, letting the waves run up to my calves. It was every bit as relaxing as I'd hoped. As I continued on, I heard some voices shouting. I was weary, but there wasn't much I could do. It would at least give me a small gauge of what the people were like here.

I continued walking until I saw three guys tossing around a football. I intended to just walk by when one of them shouted at me. They approached, and I automatically took a defensive stance with my back to the water. They looked to be a little younger than me, but were all pretty well built and were obviously locals. They didn't seem aggressive, but I wasn't taking any chances.

"Hey, you new around here?" the tallest asked. "Come on Jake, what kind of question is that? It's not like this place is big enough for someone to blend in without being noticed" another one joked, punching the one known as Jake in the arm. "Shut up Quil, I was just trying to be casual." He playfully scolded. "Hi, I'm Jake. This is Quil and that's Embry." He said, extending his hand. I was caught off guard by his introduction, but I shook his hand.

"I'm Paul and yes, I am new here. My mom was raised here and decided to bring me back to her hometown." I stated, still prepared to defend myself if this was a ruse.

"Nice to meet you, and welcome to La Push. You may have noticed it's a small place, so don't be too surprised if you draw some attention." He said. "Interested in playing a bit?" He asked, throwing me the ball.

They seemed like all right guys and I enjoyed a good game of football. Jake took Quil, leaving me with Embry. He still hadn't actually said anything, but I still felt an odd sense of comfort from being around him.

"Have a position you prefer?" I asked. "I'm a pretty decent receiver" he said, nodding at me to be the QB.

"All right then, let's go." I smirked. He actually understood routes and he outpaced Quil easily. Eventually Jake dropped back to try and help cover him too, but I took the opportunity to just scramble with nobody on me. Embry & I dominated both sides of the ball until the other two finally gave up.

"You're not bad at this" Quil said, panting for breath after I hit Embry for the final score.

"You guys weren't horrible either, but Embry makes my job a lot easier" I chuckled. I checked the time and realized that I should probably head home. The moving truck was going to be there early in the morning and mom had some help coming in to unpack it. I waved goodbye with a smile on my face as I trotted back into my house, grabbing a towel from my room so that I could rinse off. I was really glad that mom had decided to stock my bathroom already. After standing in the relaxing spray for a few minutes, I felt drained. Fortunately Mom had made up my bed, and I collapsed onto it when I walked into my room, sighing at the comfort. Maybe I was being too optimistic, but if Jake and his buddies were any indication, this place might not be half bad. Only time would tell though, and I fell asleep with a hope that I hadn't had in a long time. Maybe this would be a nice new start…

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><p>The thought that drove Chapter 2 for me is moving forward in life, whether it be moving on from the Cherokee reservation, from the life as a traveler, or possibly from being an eternal outcast. Thus, I felt that The All-American Rejects' "Move Along" fit. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'd be grateful if you felt the urge to review.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Landslide

AN: Well, this is what I'd call the last of the major "introductory" chapters. Action should begin to pick up soon, but don't expect the character development to end just because everyone's introduced. I hope that everyone enjoys this update, and as always, I really appreciate those of you who review.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just like to play around with the existing universe.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

Hank's Lady: Glad you liked it! Everything you asked for is coming quite soon. However, if you know anything about me, not everything can be happy ;)

Blaidd Du: Really happy that you enjoyed my intro to the characters and the situations I tried to create. To answer your question, they are not in the pack yet. Those that are will be introduced shortly, however. Hope you enjoy this one!

tinker03, madyashiefan: Glad to hear you liked it!

rAbiDmutt03: Reviews like that really encourage me to continue writing. I'm glad that you've found the story to be enjoyable so far. This is going to be a primarily intro chapter as well, but the action isn't too far away! Hope you like it.

iJeedai: No, they aren't in the pack yet. The pack members will be introduced in this one though. As for the initiation...not in this one hehe. Enjoy!

oh2byoung: Love that you enjoy this story early on. And it's great to hear how you two are doing. Looking forward to hearing from you guys! Hope this one doesn't disappoint!

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><p>That night had to be one of the more peaceful nights of sleep that I'd had in a long time. I imagined a world where I hung out with people and wasn't hated for being myself. I had friends and a purpose, something I hadn't felt in all the years of bouncing around the country. I woke up feeling extremely content with this move. I was going to make a new start and there was nothing that could prevent it.<p>

I walked downstairs to the smell of bacon and eggs. My appetite had increased to ridiculous levels, but mom seemed well prepared for it, as she was for everything. I shoveled everything down until I heard a knock on the door. She went and opened it and welcomed someone into the house, inviting them for breakfast. I listened to the conversation, curious as to whom they were.

"You don't have to do anything like that ma'am. The council is quite glad to have you back on the reservation after all these years. You can expect that Sue Clearwater will be sending something over, probably as soon as lunch." a deep voice said. These must be the movers that mom had arranged for. I threw my paper plate away and went into the living room to see who these guys were.

In the room were two large men. One was slightly smaller than me and had a grin glued onto his face. The other was massive, towering over me by several inches and packed with muscle. I walked over to the men as mom introduced me. "Guys, this is Paul, my son" she said. "This is Jared Cameron," she indicated to the smaller one "and Sam Uley" pointing to the giant. I glared at them suspiciously, but offered my hand out of respect, which they both accepted. There was no way that he couldn't be the Alpha that I had spoken to. I could just sense it.

"Paul, will you start getting things unloaded with these two?" She asked. "I need to run to the store and see Billy, the leader of the reservation" she threw in for my benefit. I nodded and she grabbed her keys, taking off out the door.

"So…"I said, headed towards the moving truck. "Shall we get started?" I asked and headed outside, the other two following.

We worked quietly, with most of the conversation hinging around what boxes went where. I explained the labeling system that we had used when we packed in Georgia. After several hours, we had almost cleared out the truck. I offered them a drink from the fridge, and we took a break.

"So, tell us about yourself Paul. If we're going to be hanging out, we should probably get to know each other." Jared said cheerily.

That annoyed me a little bit. Maybe I was overreacting, but who were they to demand to know about me, let alone expect to hangout. I guess I wasn't used to such a welcome, but I couldn't help but feel slightly taken back by his forwardness.

"No offense, but what gives you the idea that we're going to be spending any time together?" I asked harshly. His grin faded a bit before he tried to recover "I just thought…um…" he started.

"Enough, Jared. We haven't even begun discussing the situation here. I know that it was natural for us to hang out after the change, but we can't expect Paul to want to join yet. He needs to get acclimated to La Push before anything else." He stated with authority. "If you want to get to know us, however, we'd love to have you around. We are asking that you at least join us on occasion so that we can all work on being a pack though." He finished, addressing me this time.

I nodded, not feeling like I could disagree with my Alpha. "There is one thing we do need to discuss, however. Traditionally one the early shifters is expected to act as Beta to the pack, helping me keep everyone in line." Sam explained. "Unfortunately, it's not a pleasant job. Oftentimes they have to help control the other wolves, particularly when they try to make a play for power. It normally happens at first phase, as a wolf tries to prove himself, and the Beta normally acts as a test to show that there is a chain of command..." he concluded, looking between the two of us.

"Absolutely not, Sam. I won't fight any of our friends, even for their own good. Not to mention, I have no interest in having a position of power…" Jared trailed off. He seemed like a pretty nice guy. Content to do his job, but not looking to reap any extra benefits. Not to mention he cared about the others too much to be an authoritarian.

Sam shifted his head to me. "So, I walk into the reservation and you immediately want me to take up the mantle of second in command?" I thought out loud. "Well…to be honest, I have no trouble scrapping with people, especially now that there's a good reason behind it. I've done it all my life, and since I don't know anyone here, I don't have the attachment that Jared does. So yeah, I'll do it, at least until someone wants to take the position from me, and I'll try to work with you guys as a pack. I'm not really trying to be an outsider here." I finished softly. I wasn't going to push them away. We were bound, whether I liked it or not, so I might as well try to make the best of it. "Also, sorry Jared. I guess I shouldn't have snapped at you so quickly. I'm just…not used to the pleasantness that I've seen on this reservation so far." His smile reappeared and we began working again, unloading what was left of the truck.

After the truck was empty, I detached my car from the trailer, taking off the cover that had protected it so nicely on the trip. A low whistle from Sam made me turn my head.

"Quite a beauty you have there. You officially may have the sexiest car on the reservation" he said, looking over my pride and joy.

"Yeah, it's the one thing that I take an unreal amount of pride in. I love her more than anything else I own." I smiled. As we were standing there, mom pulled back up.

"Hey boys, how's everything going?" She asked cheerily. "Pretty good mom. Just got the truck unloaded, so the driver can come back for it shortly. Now we just have to get it all sorted." I replied.

"You think that can wait until after lunch?" a girl asked from behind us, approaching with a large basket with food.

"Leah!" Sam yelled, running over and kissing the girl. "Paul, this is Leah Clearwater, my imprint!"

She elbowed him in the gut. "I'd prefer to be introduced as your girlfriend, or maybe even your soulmate, you oaf. Imprint just makes me feel like an object." She scolded before smiling at me. "Now, why don't we all have lunch? Mom made this as a welcome for you two." She said to my mom.

We all went inside and ate. A few minutes into the meal I heard a knock at the door. "That must be Seth. Mom doesn't ever trust that I'll actually do what she asks" Leah said sarcastically.

I got up to go answer it and opened the door, greeted by a young boy on the other side. The large smile that covered his face made him seem extremely hyper, innocent, and happy go lucky. His grin didn't hold me long, as I met his eyes and felt something that I couldn't understand. It was like a sudden connection to the young one that made me want to protect him, keep him happy, and be there for him however he needed. It wasn't love in the sense of an overwhelming physical attraction to the boy, as Sam had explained his imprinting on Leah to be, but I did feel an instant bond that made me feel powerfully attached to him, making me wonder if that's what had just happened. It scared me and I stood there staring at him before I heard a whistle and noticed him waving his hand in front of my face. "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey!" the kid barked, getting progressively louder.

I shook my head, trying to clear my senses. "Sorry kid. I just zoned out a little bit." I mumbled, letting him into the house. "I'm Paul, by the way." I finished as he walked by me towards the others. "Hi, I'm Seth. It's nice to meet you, Paul." He said, turning to face me and shaking my hand. I was so enthralled by how he said my name, but the electric feelings I was getting from the simple handshake were even more out of this world. He looked at his hand before muttering something that sounded like "weird" and turned back towards the kitchen. I followed him in, unsure of how to handle this development. Going from what I had seen in Sam's mind when we talked, imprinting was all about creating a bond with the one you're meant to be with. All of the thoughts running through my head about Seth were platonic, however, and I only felt the need to be like a brother for him. I wasn't gay, after all, and had every intention of seeing if there were any girls here that caught my eye. I shook it off as something I'd deal with later, but couldn't help as a smile crept across my face as I sat down beside Seth.

"Decide to just join us, squirt?" Leah chided. "Why don't you just go home and tell mom that I didn't need you checking up on me." She sneered. Seth looked hurt and mumbled something about just wanting to spend some time with people before making a move to get up, his head hanging lowly.

I couldn't help but to growl lowly, causing Sam and Jared to look up at me in surprise. "Sorry…"I apologized. "I really just don't like to see anyone get picked on. Feel free to stay Seth. You're welcome to help us as much as you want to" I finished, ruffling his hair as the smile crept back onto his face.

After lunch, we all began to work on getting everything unpacked, trying to turn the place into a suitable home. Leah took the basket and empty food trays back home, but Seth, Sam, and Jared remained to help.

Jared worked with mom on getting the kitchen organized, while Sam worked on wiring up the living room electronics. I didn't mind, as dealing with the sound system had always been way too tidy of a task for me to take on. Sam apparently enjoyed working with the electronics though.

Seth came up to my room, wanting to help me unpack after having defended him from Leah. I smiled and happily talked with him as we went through boxes. The kid seemed to find hanging up clothes, posters, and the other menial tasks of getting organized to be the greatest adventure in the world and his enthusiasm was contagious. He asked me about what I liked as I hung up the posters of a few of my favorite bands and movies, just as I asked him about himself.

I learned a lot about him and his family as we fixed up my room. Leah had apparently been with Sam for a long time and his parents felt that he was God's gift to the reservation. I learned that a lot of kids thought that he was some kind of cult leader, but Seth apparently didn't hold an opinion either way. It was obvious that he, unlike Leah, knew nothing about what Sam was. I learned about how he was going to be starting high school as a freshman and couldn't help but hope that I'd get to see him on occasion. I learned about the music he enjoyed, how he liked to spend his time, how Jake was his best friend, and basically listened intently to everything that he was willing to say. I filed everything in my memory banks, feeling that it would all be useful at some point.

After a while, he told me he had to leave. Apparently he was going out with Jake and his friends to a movie. He invited me to come, but I declined, as we still had a lot of unpacking to do. He headed out and I immediately felt my mood dampen, but I fought through it. Sam and Jared also went home after a few hours, finally escaping my mom's continuous thanks and declining her attempts at paying them.

Once they had left, mom went upstairs to work on unpacking the last of her stuff while I started setting out all of our movies in the entertainment center and hanging some pictures on the wall. Finishing that, I started cooking some dinner. Mom had mentioned that she was craving some Italian and I had noticed that she'd picked up the groceries to make some decent meals. I grabbed a pack of chicken and seasoned it before throwing it into a frying pan. Meanwhile I threw the garlic bread into the oven, started boiling noodles, and heated up some sauce. When it was all complete, I called up to her, having already set a plate of my chicken alfredo at the table for her. She came down, looked at the plate with awe and sat down to eat. I joined her and we talked about things, including my new role in the pack. She was ecstatic that I was finding my place already, and I couldn't help but feel content as well.

She offered to wash dishes, a task that she knew I hated. I surveyed the house, noticing that everything was more or less in place, before heading up and taking a shower. I was tired and the hot water helped to relax me after a very full day. I had met my pack, my alpha, and more importantly, my imprint…at least, I think he's my imprint. I was still confused about that, but I was happy, one way or the other.

I walked down and told mom that I was going to head to bed. I trotted back up the stairs and lay on top of my bed, expecting a restful night of sleep to follow. Sadly, my subconscious decided to rear its head in my dreams.

"_You imprinted on a guy? That goes against everything that's natural!" Sam shouted, the sound causing birds to fly out of the trees. "You are not in this pack anymore. In fact, I want you to leave La Push, NOW" He commanded. I looked at him one more time, also glancing over at Leah, who had a twisted smirk on her face. I hoped that Seth would at least support me, but his happy smile had been replaced with a look of disgust and hatred. I turned around and sprinted out of the woods and out of La Push, feeling completely rejected and disgusted with myself._

I woke with a start, staring into the darkness of my room. It was only 6am, but there was no way that I was going to be able to sleep after that. My mind was trying to protect me, showing me how the tribe would likely react if they found out. I vowed to keep what had happened a secret, even from the pack's shared thoughts. Sam had said that things could be blocked out, and this was going to be shielded by everything I could. That didn't mean that I wouldn't try to hang out with Seth as often as possible though. I needed to be there for him, to protect him from whatever trouble came his way.

After a couple of hours of dwelling on it, I walked down to the beach. It was cloudy, but I didn't think it would rain today. Apparently bad weather was a normality here. I really wished Seth was around, but he had said that he loved to sleep in. Maybe I'd see him later, though. As I walked along the empty beach, I noticed the trio that I had played football with walking in my direction. I called out to them, but they didn't respond. As we neared, I could tell that they were trying not to look at me.

"Hey guys, what's up?" I asked, curious about why their demeanors had changed so drastically in under 48 hours.

"Listen Paul…we talked to Seth. He told us that you were hanging around with Leah, Jared, and Sam. Now that you're part of his little cult, we can't really talk to you. We're just trying to stay out of it, so we'd appreciate it if you'd leave us alone." Jacob said, sadness reflected in his voice.

My first friends here were part of the group that hated Sam. Being part of the pack had officially cost me what I had hoped to be a good friendship and I couldn't help but to just stand there stunned as they walked away from me. Pack life was quickly giving me the role of being an outsider once again. I immediately regretted having allowed for wishful thinking to infect my mind when I first came here, staring at my reflection in the water. I slowly wandered down the coastline, finally feeling the weight of understanding that this place was really no different than any of the others…

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><p>My song of choice for this chapter is called "Landslide" and was originally written by Stevie Nicks of the band Fleetwood Mac. It just made me think of the changes in life and how quickly things can go from being good to bad. Also, out of curiosity, has anyone listened to or known any of these song choices? Just curious if it actually was noticed haha. As I've said before, I hope you enjoyed and reviews are appreciated!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4:  Name

AN: Well, now we've met most of the important characters. In case you didn't figure it out, the imprint is real, it's just at a stage where Seth needs a brother more than anything else. Don't worry though, needs change as time goes by hehe. Hopefully you find the action and everything else that happens in this one to be interesting. Reviews are appreciated!

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><p>Reviews:<p>

rAbiDmutt03: I'm glad that you like my slight spin on the characters. I'm a bit of an angst writer, so don't be too surprised if things aren't all happy all the way through. I'll try not to be overly cruel (at least not all the time hehe). I care about the characters too though, but you've gotta have challenges in life!

Hank's Lady: I felt like having a slight twist. It may not stop her from being protective, but at least she won't have the heartache she's used to! I also wanted to incorporate the standoff nature between Jake's group and the "hall monitors on steroids." Also, thanks for the input about the songs :)

madyashiefan: Glad that you like my characterizations. I wanted to make the imprint platonic at first. And yeah...I kinda enjoy being cruel to Paul, despite how much I love his character hehe.

TurnItUp03: Glad you liked it. And you're right, the mind can help or hurt a person. At least he's well-versed in dealing with adversity!

tinker03, PuNkRoCkVaMp: Glad you liked it. Hope this one pleases you as well!

iJeedai: I can't think of Seth in a non-cute way. At least not yet ;) We'll see how many challenges he has to face in the future, between being an imprint and an outsider!

oh2byoung: Glad you liked it Matt. Had to be kinda soft and let him meet his imprint, but it wouldn't be one of my chapters with at least a bit of angst ;) Hope you enjoy this one!

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><p>I tried to brush off the feeling of being alone that had crept in again. If nothing else, at least I had the pack, which is more than I could say before. Albeit, that really just meant that I had Jared &amp; Sam, but with Sam's mind completely enveloped with thoughts of Leah, I was limited in my interaction with him. Jared and I, however, became pretty close. While the three of us ran patrols together, he and I talked a decent amount. We had yet to actually find any vampires yet, but we knew that wouldn't last for too long.<p>

I was really beginning to love the feeling of phasing. It could be triggered with emotion, but with enough focus, you could shift without having to get completely worked up. Although I came close, I hadn't lost it because of anger yet. I found myself running the occasional patrol, even without the other two. The ability to be free, running through the forest was one of the greatest things that I had ever found. It didn't feel like as much of a curse anymore.

Along with gaining control of the physical shift came controlling the shared thoughts. I had already mastered the art of keeping my mind silent from the pack, except when I wanted to be heard. It took a decent amount of thought to keep everything buried, but it was worth it. I wasn't going to risk my nightmare coming true. This was the happiest I had been in recent memory, making the effort to remain in control well worth it.

After about two weeks of regular patrols, Jared picked up the first scent that we had encountered. Our instincts told us that the deathly, sweet scent had to be one of the creatures that we hunted. We tried to hone in on Jared as he tracked it, but he got to the traveler before us. We built up speed as we watched the two engage in a fight. Jared was quick, but this creature seemed well-versed in protecting itself. "You think that you can take me down, boy?" he – _it_ – sneered. Sure enough it wasn't too long before he grabbed Jared by the back of the neck and slung him against a tree, incapacitating our friend. I had closed in well before Sam, who had been on the exact opposite side of our territory, allowing me to throw myself between the approaching leech and Jared. Snarling, I at least got it to stop its approach, but I wasn't sure what to do. Instinct took over as I charged, but I was reckless. The vampire dodged and caught me with a swift kick to the ribs, sending me skidding across the ground. I stood back up, however, prepared to engage again. I took off towards the bloodsucker, but correctly anticipated his attempt to dodge right and snagged his arm, tearing it off as my teeth bit into the hard skin. He screamed out in pain, but went on the offensive. Fortunately, while all of the leech's attention was focused on me, Sam launched himself at the creature, tearing off its other arm. I didn't hesitate as I jumped onto the defeated vampire, quickly attacking its throat and ripping its head off. I had killed my first bloodsucker, and I couldn't help but feel proud.

Sam congratulated me as we ran over to Jared. He was still out, but had phased back at some point in our fight. Sam lay him gently on my back as I took off on a slow trot back to our Alpha's home. We made it back and lay him on the bed, doing our best to make sure that he didn't have any serious injuries. We were just about to try to relax when we heard a distressed howl coming from outside of Sam's window. We hadn't heard of anyone threatening to change, so we were startled to see the large wolf standing there. He nodded at me to phase, as it would be my job to try to control the wolf that would likely vie for position when presented with a challenge. I did so and was shocked to hear Leah's voice filling my head. "Really, he sent you to try and bring me down a notch? I'm not one of you heathen-minded brutes. I have no need to fight you Paul. I don't have to prove myself to anyone. I'm the Alpha's mate and if you even try to attack me, he'll take you down." She said, sounding smug. She was right though. If Sam felt that his imprint was in danger, he'd do anything to protect her. I can't say that I was expecting the girl to change, but whatever. I phased back and told Sam who it was and he immediately shifted to talk to her. I left them to it, going back to make sure that Jared was still doing ok.

Jared was sore, but nothing major was damaged. He spent the night and was almost completely healed by the next morning. Sam and Leah had joined me in the house after about an hour. Sam was shocked that a female had shifted, but was completely ecstatic about being able to spend more time with Leah, despite the unease that he felt about having her on patrols. At least she was more able to protect herself now, and she actually wasn't bad when she wasn't being so sarcastic.

As summer continued to pass us by, I began to long to see Seth again. I had tried to visit him when Sam went to see Leah, but more often than not he was out with friends. It had been weeks since I had seen him and even though I was able to hang out with the pack, I really missed him. It hurt more than I care to admit that I seemed to be the only one who needed to be around the other.

I came across Seth and his friends on the beach one day, but fought off the urge to approach. Seth looked happy and he was hanging out with Jake, Quil, and…was that Embry? My eyes had to be deceiving me, but there was no doubting that face. He had packed on a serious amount of muscle in the few weeks since I'd seen him and was even taller than Jake now. Going by the conversation they were having, he seemed to be in a foul mood, making snide comments at everyone with a general scowl on his face. It took everything I had to stop myself from going over there when he snapped at Seth with a "Why don't you go find someone your own age to talk to," causing the young boy to storm off in my direction as Jake and Quil tried to calm their friend down. As much as I wanted to hurt Embry for angering Seth, I couldn't help but smile as the boy approached me.

"Hey Seth, how've you been?" I asked nonchalantly, acting as though I hadn't just listened to him get verbally attacked.

He looked up to me, a trace of his amazing smile crossing his face. "Oh, hey Paul! It's been a while. I've been good, staying busy. Haven't seen you around too much. You should hang out with me and my friends sometime" he suggested.

"Sorry Seth, I've been busy with the whole move and getting situated. Maybe sometime soon though. You know you're also welcome to come over if you're ever bored, right?" I suggested. I didn't want to let him know that I wasn't so welcome by his idol.

"Sure, sure. Want to hang out now?" he asked innocently. I nodded quickly and we headed back to my house, trying to beat the rain that was about to drown the area.

We got in, just as the torrential downpour began. The kid was easy to entertain. We put on a movie and just sat in the living room, chatting. School was starting up in a couple of weeks and he was really nervous about becoming a freshman. I comforted him, offering to help him if he needed anything. I may not know this exact school, but I understood the jitters he was feeling. He nodded, acknowledging that Jake had said the same thing. I couldn't help but feel envious that the other boy was so much closer to Seth than I was, but I hoped that time would allow for me to get to know him better. We continued to hangout, Seth not wanting to venture out into the rain. Mom had called my cell, letting me know that she had gotten stuck in Port Angeles thanks to the storm and that she'd be back the next morning.

It got late, the storm not subsiding, and I offered Seth the guest room. He called up his mom, who was all too willing to keep her boy out of the monsoon that had set in. We went upstairs and called it a night, but kept the doors open so that we could chat until sleep sunk in. He fell asleep well before I did, but as the storm picked up, I began to feel a certain unease creeping into my emotions, which I couldn't understand. I loved thunder storms, being used to sitting out and watching them for hours on end, but something had made me nervous.

Lightning began to strike in the distance, followed by several loud claps of thunder. The wind was whipping and I began to listen to the trees straining under the combined pressure of wind and water. I heard whimpering coming from the other room and immediately ran in to see what was wrong. Seth lay in the middle of the bed, shivering with a look of pure, unadulterated fear on his face. Another round of booming thunder caused his tremors to pick up. It didn't take a genius to realize that the poor kid was terrified.

I sat down on the bed and pulled him into a protective embrace. He looked up at me, startled at the sudden movement.

"Sorry. You just looked like you needed some comfort…" I said, looking down at him. He sat up immediately and sat right beside me. "All my life, I've been terrified of storms. I remember back when I was a kid, we were driving in one. The car ended up skidding out of control and slammed into a tree. Nobody was severely hurt, but I just…just always get really nervous whenever it starts to get bad." He said, tears threatening to fall.

I pulled him close to me, never wanting to let him go. "It's alright Seth. I'm here, and nothing's going to happen." I pulled him back down onto the bed, my arm wrapped tightly around him. "Thanks Paul…" he said, pulling himself against me even more before finally drifting into sleep.

I didn't leave his side that night, softly showing him that I was still there every time the storm began to bother him. It felt right having him in my arms, which was something that I'd never felt before with anyone. I was used to hooking up with girls, but not staying the night. I dozed off at some point, but woke up well before him the next morning. I left him sleeping, heading down to make some breakfast. Mom had a decent stock of eggs, sausage, bacon, and bread, so I started cooking a solid meal. Halfway through, Seth wandered down and watched me cook. I finished after a few minutes and made two plates, taking them to the table before beckoning him to join me.

"If there's something you don't like, let me know. I went with scrambled eggs because…well, it's the only way I know how to cook them…" I said nervously, suddenly self-conscious that he might not like the meal.

"It all looks great!" he said, his trademark smile plastered on his face. I sighed in relief as we both began to dig in and took the plates back to the sink.

"I'm guessing you probably have to head home, don't you?" I asked after I cleared the table, sad that our time was finally coming to an end.

"Yeah, mom will want to see me. She gets scared when I don't check in" he chuckled, turning towards the door. He hesitated and I waited to see if he had something else to say. "Really though…Thanks Paul…" he began.

"No problem Seth. I'm glad you liked it" I said, assuming that he meant for the breakfast.

"Well...thanks for breakfast too, but I was really talking about for last night. I've never really told anyone outside of my family about that and…I'm glad that you didn't laugh or just treat me like some kid because of it…" he trailed off.

I walked over to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Seth, I don't know why, but from when I first met you, I felt the urge to get to know you. I don't care if you just want to hangout sometimes or if you need comfort after a bad day, just know that I'm here. I really like you kiddo." I finished, ruffling his hair a bit. He smiled and took off towards his house and I couldn't help but feel happy at having finally gotten to talk to him again.

As I finished cleaning the kitchen, mom pulled into the driveway. We chatted about her trip as I washed the final pan, apologizing that I hadn't made enough for her. "Oh Paul, from what I've noticed, it's impossible for you guys to leave food on a plate" she chuckled.

I laughed, heading up the stairs to get a shower, remembering how pleasant it was to get to spend time with Seth. Once I was finished, I headed over to Sam's. I had to let him know that it looked like Embry was going to join us.

The drive over was short, but peaceful. I loved getting to be in my car again, even if it was just to drive through the reservation. Quite a few people followed my car with their eyes as I passed and I saw Sam staring with a smile on his face as I pulled up at his house. His smile didn't last very long as I explained why I was there.

"That's just not possible…" Sam pondered. "His mother isn't even Quileute. She came here saying that her kid's father had been, but nobody ever really looked into it. If he has the shifter genes…it means that somebody's father would have had to have an affair…" he said, suddenly getting a little worried. From what I understood, everyone who could pass on the gene had been married when they started their families. That's when I felt the ice run through my veins.

"We need to find out who the father is." I managed to get out. "I'll go over to his house and talk to his mother if it looks like things are progressing." I said. Sam nodded and we left it at that.

The next day I was about to grab lunch at the diner when I saw Seth, Jake, and Quil taking a seat. I was about to try and avoid the awkward situation when Seth gestured for me to join them. Neither Jake nor Quil looked too pleased, but I couldn't resist the urge to be around Seth. They tried to hide their discomfort, but I just focused on talking to Seth about things. The other two seemed to be discussing Embry's condition and I listened in. "He hit one hell of a growth spurt" Quil said. "Yeah, but apparently he's as sick as a dog now. He was running a pretty bad temperature, but now he can't even get out of bed." Jake piped in.

"Shit…" I muttered under my breath. There wasn't much time. We continued to talk throughout lunch, but as soon as it was over I quickly paid and took off toward the Call house. The one perk of living on a small reservation is that it's easy to know where people live.

I knocked on the door, which was answered by a small woman. "Ms. Call, I presume?" I asked. "Yes, that's me, but you'll have to excuse me. I'm taking care of my son right now." She said, indicating that she was in no mood to talk to me.

"I'm sorry, but that's actually why I'm here. I need to ask you an important question." I explained, hoping that she wouldn't slam the door in my face.

"Fine, what do you want?" She asked, starting to get frustrated.

I decided to be blunt. "I need to know who Embry's father is…" I stated. The shock and disbelief that crossed her face let me know that I had touched a sore subject. If that wasn't the dead giveaway, the stinging on my face from where she had slapped it was. "HOW DARE YOU! I DON'T KNOW YOU AND YOU COME IN ASKING ABOUT THAT!" She screamed.

"Let me explain!" I cried out. "Depending on who his father is, I might be able to help him. There's a big chance that what's ailing him is genetic and there's nothing a doctor will be able to do!" I pleaded.

Her eyes softened and I could see that they were full of worry. "I never wanted to think about him again. I was just a fling and when he found out that I was pregnant, he just took off…" she started. This sounded way too familiar. "He had told me that he was Quileute, so I came here. My reservation had basically disowned me for getting pregnant while I wasn't married. His name was…Meraz, Larry Meraz." She whispered. I felt all the color drain from my face. I had heard that name only once before when mom had told me about the man that she loved growing up. She had never married him, so I had her name instead of his. It looks like Embry knew exactly what it was like and there was no doubt that he was about to shift. "That bastard…" I muttered. "Listen Ms. Call. I know exactly what's happening to your son and I need you to let me get him out of here. It's unsafe, but I promise you that I'll bring him back." I begged. She was worried, but nodded, sensing the urgency in my voice. The fact that his temperature was high enough to kill a normal person probably gave me some leverage as well.

I walked softly into his room and looked at him. He had bulked up quite a bit, but he looked pitiful. He was sweating and his face was contorted in pain. I guess that this was what normally happened to people. I picked him up and threw him over my shoulder, carrying him out the back door and to the woods as his mother looked on worriedly.

As we got into the forest, Embry began to stir. I sat him down and he looked at me confusedly. "What the hell, Paul?" he demanded, but before I could explain anything, he began to convulse. His clothes exploded and I was now faced with a large wolf. He was grey, just like me, but had black spots and lighter paws.

I stripped down quickly, phasing to try and explain. Upon seeing another wolf, however, his new power took over and he charged. I guess it was time to see if I could actually hold my own against a new wolf. Embry was smaller than I was, but seemed a bit quicker. His wolf took advantage of that, cutting sharply as he lurched at me. I knocked him back before he charged again, standing my ground against the wild animal that had taken Embry over. He landed a pretty nice cut on my leg, but I used my size to pin him to the ground before he could escape. I dug my paws into his chest until I heard Embry's voice filling my head.

"What the hell is going on? Why am I a…wolf? Is this about the legends that they tell around here? Wait, why did you ask my mom who my dad was?" He bounced from question to question. The last one caught me off guard. I wasn't sure if I was going to bring it up, but I guess I had left my mind open, focusing on calming the young wolf.

"Well…" I started. "The legends that they tell around here are true. You're a wolf because the gene flows through some people and triggers when vampires are near. And…um…I asked about your father because the gene only flows through some family lines, and…well, we got it from him…" I said nervously, not quite sure how he was going to take it.

"Wow…" he said simply. "I'm sorry for attacking, but do you mind letting me up?" he questioned.

I didn't realize that I was still pinning him down and scampered off of him quickly. "Listen, Embry. I don't have any expectations as far as us sharing some blood, but if you ever want to hang out, I'd like to get to know you." I said.

"That'd be nice, Paul. It's nice to know that someone else can relate to how I feel sometimes. And I'm sorry that we turned our backs on you so quickly. I guess this means I won't be able to hang out with Jake or Quil doesn't it…" He finished sadly.

"Unfortunately not for a little bit, at least until you learn to control it. You obviously can't talk about this with anyone outside of the pack. I think it might be time to take you to Sam. He's in charge of this 'cult' as you guys call it" I joked.

He followed me to Sam's, listening as I explained how to shift back. He did so pretty quickly and I followed, pulling on my clothes. I had him wait in the woods while I ran to grab him some shorts. We spent the rest of the afternoon there, Sam explaining how everything worked. Embry called his mom to tell her that he was feeling much better, but also asked to stay at Sam's for the night. She didn't question it, happy enough that he wasn't knocking on death's door. I hoped that he'd get control enough to spend time around his best friends, but I was afraid that they might be weary of his association with us. We'd deal with that as we had to, and for the moment it was just nice to have a new person to be able to talk to.

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><p>The song I chose for this is called "Name" by The Goo Goo Dolls. There are areas of the lyrics that I find really fitting, especially to the Embry situation at the end, as well as to the night with Seth. You don't have to agree, but I liked it. I hope that you'll review if you enjoyed, or if you have suggestions for improvement or ideas for where you want me to go. Sure, I have a basic plan for the story, but I'm always open to great ideas that can shift things. Also, the next update may take a couple of extra days because of work being hectic for the next few. Sorry!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5: Love The Way You Lie Part 1

AN: Sorry that this took so long to post. I've been working a tremendous amount since the last update, so I've had very little time to write. Hope that you enjoy this one, and hopefully I can update sooner next time! Also, there were a lot of reviews last chapter (compared to what I'm used to), and I'm quite thankful for everyone's comments.

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

Happy Face21: Glad that you've enjoyed the story, as well as my take on Paul. I wanted to show that he could be a lot deeper than just a hothead, but that's not to say that he doesn't still have some fire to him! I also wanted to change up the traditional Embry situation. Hope you continue to enjoy things!

tinker03: I really enjoyed writing the Seth/Paul moment. Good to hear that you enjoyed it and the chapter as a whole.

Hank's Lady: Glad you enjoyed all of it :) I couldn't help but write something a little special for Embry (he holds a soft spot in my writing) and I liked changing it a little. And I worked way too hard. But now it's over. Hope you enjoy this one. The one that I'm really gearing up for is coming up next ;)

iJeedai: Glad you liked it! I know storms are kind of cliche in writing, but I wanted to use it to show Paul feeling some of Seth's emotions (personally, I love storms haha). And the brothers will develop a bit over the story, but you won't have to wait long to see how Embry's best friends take things!

TurnItUp03: Thank you. I appreciate your encouragement, especially considering how great your stories are. Glad that you liked my slight tweaking of the traditional pack family line.

GoinnGaGa: Always good to hear that a fellow Paul-lover enjoys my story focused around him! And you're definitely right, a Paul/Seth mix can be nothing but good hehe.

rAbiDmutt03: I'm a big fan of Embry as well, which is why I like to give him more importance than just Jake & Quil's best friend. I don't plan to just leave their brotherhood at the simple fact that they share blood though ;)

perfectlyODD: Glad that you've liked it so far, especially since one thing that I take pride in is my characterizations. Hope you continue to enjoy, and I have some plans for Seth in the near future hehe.

oh2byoung: Hope that things are treating you well guys. I just want you to know, that you're really killing me. First you call me romantic, now a softy? I'm gonna let you know that if I ever decide to go fully evil, it's partially to just prove a point that I'm not a softy :P Hope you like this one and that your recovery continues smoothly!

madyashiefan: Glad you've continued to find the story worth reading! Hope that you continue to find it entertaining.

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><p>The following week was rough for Embry. After much debate, he decided to tell his mother about what he was. She actually took it pretty calmly, embracing him when he was afraid that she'd send him out of the house. She had lived on the reservation for all of Embry's life and had heard all of the legends before. I had been there with him to explain, but he handled it well on his own. After that she helped keep Jake and Quil misinformed about Embry's whereabouts while we helped him get control of his emotions. As much as he hated to do so, he needed to lie to his friends while he adjusted. He was quickly getting a grasp on things and I felt like it'd be fine for him to see the other two again. If anything, not being able to talk to them was probably keeping him more unstable than anything else.<p>

The chance came up about a week after he phased for the first time. He and I were sitting on the beach, a small fire in front of us. This wasn't one of those giant bonfires that the tribe apparently liked to have, but it did serve the purpose of being able to cook a little on it. I had gotten a cooler and filled it with beer, courtesy of the fact that the local shop didn't card me. We sat there drinking when I heard the sound of voices in the distance. Embry immediately perked up and we both knew who was approaching. I decided to go and head them off for a moment, giving Embry time to prepare for whatever he wanted to do.

"You want to see them, right?" I asked, walking in the direction of their voices. He simply nodded, staring into the fire.

I intercepted them after a few minutes, happy to get to talk to Seth, but worried about how to handle the other two. I needed to try and steer Jake & Quil from having any hostility with their friend, who didn't look nearly as sick as they were told he was. There was no doubt that someone had seen him with me and the pack during the last week and considering how much they hated Sam's group, I expected them to be emotional.

"Hey guys, how are you?" I asked. They were still weary talking to me, under the impression that I might try and indoctrinate them. I was always grateful that Seth didn't share the opinions of his friends. After some small talk, I brought up the fact that Embry was down a little further. They started to take off towards him, but I stepped in their way.

"Move, Paul. We have a right to talk to our friend." Jacob demanded.

"Listen, Jake. I want you to see him as well. I just need to talk to you first. He's drained. Emotionally, physically, and mentally, the past week has taken a toll on him, so I need you to be calm when you see him. Can you do that?" I asked softly.

The pair of them looked at me like I was out of my mind. "And why have you been there, Paul? If he's as drained as you say he is, it's because you're trying to get him involved in your little gang." Quil growled. "Listen, there are circumstances that have come up, and if Embry chooses to explain them, then that's his call. I just need to know that you'll stay calm with him because I'm not sure how much more he can take right now." I responded, not at all surprised by this response. After a moment they nodded and I led them towards our fire.

Embry was still staring into the flames as we approached. When we were about 15 feet away, he finally looked up at his friends and his face immediately locked onto one of them. I couldn't tell who he was looking at, but I immediately recognized the look on his face. Embry had imprinted on someone and I could only hope that it wasn't Seth. Two people couldn't imprint on the same person, right?

He seemed to snap out of it after a moment and began to field his best friends' questions. Much to my annoyance, Quil immediately jumped to asking why I had been able to see him and began to inquire about if he was jumping ship to the 'cult' as they had so often described it. Embry looked at me for assurance and it took me a moment to realize what he was going to use as his excuse. I nodded and he began explaining about the discovery of who his father was and the fact that we were related. He used the shock as an excuse as to why he'd been so withdrawn and our bond to explain why he had spent a decent amount of time with me recently. The second part wasn't a total lie, but it was all that he could say about the current circumstances.

Jake and Quil seemed to accept everything and even began to warm up to me a bit. We talked about a lot of things and I found out that Jake had a love for cars. I'd have to show him my baby at some point. I also got to talk with Seth and hear about the array of emotions he was feeling about school starting in about a week. Just being around him, even when I wasn't doing much talking, was enough to make me feel peaceful. As the fire burned down and the cooler began to empty, we said our goodbyes. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Jake, Quil, and Embry were reunited, I got to spend time with Seth, and Embry had imprinted. All-in-all, I'd say that the day had been pretty good.

As Embry and I walked back towards his house making small talk, I finally asked the big question.

"So, who was it?" I asked point blank.

"W-What do you mean?" he stuttered.

"I recognize that look anywhere. You imprinted, but the question is, on who? The only three people there were Jake, Quil, and Seth, so who was it?" I questioned, my throat catching as I mentioned Seth in the list.

"So, you're not weirded out by the fact that I imprinted on a guy?" He asked.

"A shifter can't choose its imprint. It doesn't matter if you were gay before, fate chooses our 'soul mates' for us. Even if it wasn't for the imprint, I could care less who you like. As I always say, 'Different strokes for different folks.'" I concluded.

"Well, to be honest, I actually knew that I liked him before this. It's part of what drew me to him growing up…" he began. I listened as my mind chorused 'Please don't be Seth' repeatedly. "It's Jake." He said rather dreamily. Hearing that, I inwardly sighed, glad that I wasn't going to have to deal with more drama than I cared to. It did make sense though. From what I had learned, the two had always been extremely close to each other. I did what I could to comfort him before heading home to get some sleep.

The only thing left for the summer was a major bonfire that the tribe used to celebrate the end of the season. I had been running patrols with Jared beforehand and got there as things were beginning to pick up. There was a huge fire on the beach and enough food to feed a large army, or more accurately, a small pack of wolves and a group of normal people. I scanned the crowd, seeing my mom talking with the elders, Sam holding Leah, Embry sitting with Quil & Jake, and Seth talking nervously with some girl. Despite the fact that I had never had a romantic feeling for Seth, I was immediately filled with jealousy at the situation. I didn't fully understand it, but I was really angry that someone else was fulfilling Seth's need for companionship – or whatever it was that the girl was providing for him. I talked with Jared for a few before getting tired of being there. I told my mom that I was headed out, using patrols as a cover. It's not like I could simply leave without her growing suspicious. A wolf passing up on a mountain of free food was unheard of. I really didn't have an appetite though, so I took off, just trying to get my mind off of things. Nobody else was phased so it was a surprisingly quiet night, but I still couldn't relax like I normally did while running. I didn't pay much attention to my direction and ended up somewhere in Canada before I got tired enough to slow down.

As I sat by a small stream to collect myself and replenish some energy, I suddenly felt another voice in my head. I didn't realize that I had been running for long enough for there to be another round of patrols, but judging by the sun beginning to peak up, it must have been later than I thought.

"Woah, Paul. Didn't expect anyone else to be phased during my patrol. What are you doing right now?" Embry asked.

I didn't really have any excuse, so I told him that I had just gotten a little angry and gone for a run, losing track of time in the process. I didn't have patrols today, so it's not like I should be needed for anything. I felt Embry trying to probe my mind for what had bothered me, but I quickly shut him out.

"Oh come on Paul, why do you have to be like that?" he questioned after running into the brick wall of my mind. "I told you my problems, so why won't you share with me?" he pursued.

"Listen, Em. I recognize that we're brothers and I trust you. I'm just not willing to let some things out yet. I'm sorry, there are some problems that I'm not ready to share with anyone else right now." I responded. He finally relented and carried out his patrol while we chatted. It took me most of the morning and into the afternoon to finally get back, as my pace wasn't nearly as speedy on the return home. Once I got back, I went home, lay in my bed, and just thought about what was happening to me before I allowed the exhaustion to wash over me.

School started the next week. I wasn't particularly excited, but it would be an interesting new start. If nothing else, at least I had the few friends that I had made. Sam and Leah were seniors, so I saw little of them throughout the day. Jared and I were juniors and had very similar schedules. We had the same core classes, with English in the morning and Chemistry followed by History in the afternoon. The only difference was second period, where I took music as an elective and he had some foreign language class. On the first day of class, the music course became the highlight of my day once I saw Seth sitting in the back of the room when I got there. I immediately sat beside him, asking him how his day had been so far.

"Pretty good, but it's different being a high schooler now. Not to mention, I'm at the bottom of the food chain" he joked. We chatted until the teacher passed out the syllabus and a basic quiz to find out what we already knew about the subject. I had been playing guitar for years and had no fear of the practical aspect of the class, even if I didn't normally rely on formal music theory most of the time. Afterwards he allowed us to pair up and start working on some basic stuff, naturally meaning that I worked with Seth.

Lunch hour split the school day in half, and the school was small enough to only have one lunch period. As we got our food, I noticed Sam, Leah, and Jared already sitting at one table, while Jake, Quil, and Embry – all sophomores – were gathered at another. Seth naturally joined his friends and I couldn't help but to follow him, despite the looks I was getting from Jared. If Embry could use the excuse of my being his brother to his friends, I could surely use the same to cover the fact that I wanted to be near Seth.

After the last two classes, Jared and I began walking to our lockers before heading home. I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw some sophomore knock the books out of Seth's hands and say something demeaning to the freshman. I was there in a heartbeat, pinning the guy to the wall with my forearm across his throat. He was thrashing, but as I applied pressure, he calmed down, either out of fear or lack of oxygen. "If you mess with the kid one more time, I won't be so quick to let you breathe again" I threatened in his ear, removing my arm from his throat. He nodded while gasping for air and took off down the hallway after quickly apologizing to Seth.

The fear in Seth's eyes caught me completely off guard. He was more bothered by how violent I had reacted than the small amount of freshman mistreatment that he had endured. I made a move to help him up and noticed his slight flinch, which ripped my heart apart. I had made my imprint afraid of me. He didn't know that I'd never do anything to hurt him.

I helped him to his feet but took off toward my locker without saying anything. I couldn't stand the underlying fear in the boy's eyes, knowing that I was the cause of it. I guess the only way to keep from seeing it was to calm down or stay away from him. Knowing myself, I recognized that as much as it hurt, I was much more likely to fail at the first option.

The next few weeks were a challenge for me. Quil and Jake both phased as more leeches passed through the area. I had to slam Quil into a tree during his first phase, but Jake was completely calm when he joined us, likely because he immediately saw Embry and returned the imprint. After calming down from the initial takeover by his wolf, Quil seemed to be perfectly fine with the developments, both of becoming a wolf and of his friends' imprinting on each other.

The only person who seemed to take issue with the relationship was Leah. She was firmly convinced that homosexuality was wrong and was completely disgusted that the two were so close. If it wasn't a look of disdain on her face about them, it was some snide remark. It wasn't until Embry began to tear up when she said something about him infecting the pack with his disease that Sam finally stood up to her and told her to stop attacking the young wolf. She wasn't happy about it, but she did try to keep her slurs to herself. I would make it a point to not put her with Jake or Embry whenever I helped make the patrol schedule.

Throughout this time, I forced myself to be more distant from Seth. We still worked together in our music class, but we didn't talk about anything but the lessons and I ate lunch with Jared, Sam, and Leah. I knew that I'd never physically hurt Seth, but I didn't want to allow my temper to be on display for him. I had scared him, and even though it hurt like hell to be so neutral towards the young boy, it was the only thing that I could think of to protect him.

There was reason to celebrate, however, at least as far as the pack was concerned. The Cullens, a group of 'vegetarian' vampires that we had an agreement not to attack, had left. Apparently some girl was responsible, but we were never going to argue about a group of leeches leaving our region. Leah and Sam threw a pretty big party, inviting the elders and the pack for some great food and drinks. What can we say, getting rid of leeches is our duty and allowing them to live so close was against everything that we stood for.

Shortly after their disappearance, we traced the girl's scent into the middle of a clearing. She wasn't alone, however, and the sight of the dreadlocked leech sent us into a frenzy. We'd been picking up his scent for a while, but this was our first time being close enough to truly go after him. We attacked, and despite his landing a decent shot on Sam, he was a relatively quick kill. Seven wolves are a pretty deadly pack.

As we approached our first round of midterms, I felt confident in my schooling for the first time in a long while. I had always been intelligent, but in years past I had never felt the need to apply myself at all. Even with patrols and other pack duties keeping me busy I was still pulling off good grades across the board. I went home after school one day, glad to have the afternoon off from patrols. I was surprised when I heard a knock on my door and went downstairs to see what was going on.

Much to my surprise, Seth was standing on the other side of the door. "I was wondering if we could talk" he murmured. "Sure man, come on in." I replied, leading him into the living room.

"I just…need somebody to talk to, but I didn't know who I could go to. Jake is even more attached to Embry than usual and you've been avoiding me since the first day of school. I at least wanted to apologize to you for that. I know that you having to stick up for me isn't something that you wanted to do to start at a new school, but I don't want you to think that you have to defend me. Will you forgive me for dragging you into my mess? You don't have to hang out with a freshman or anything, but I'd like for you to at least not hate me." He finished lowly.

I was shocked. I had been so caught up in my own attempts to protect Seth that I'd left him feeling more vulnerable and isolated than ever. "You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong. The reason that I've been trying to keep my distance was to keep you safe. I saw that you were afraid of me that day and well…didn't want you to have to be around someone as violent as I am sometimes. It's not that I thought you weren't worth hanging out with or anything, but I figured you'd feel safer without me around." I said, allowing myself to look up at him.

"Paul, I won't lie that I was surprised at how you defended me so aggressively. You've always been so cool and collected around me, and I guess I was just thrown off by your show of violence. I've been dealing with teasing all my life and despite the fact that I normally have Leah to protect me, I was just not expecting it from you. I trust you though, and I hope you're willing to hangout again. I missed you…"

At that I pulled him into an embrace, overcome with joy that Seth wanted to be around me, even after I had been so violent with that bully. "I missed you too, kid. So, what's been bothering you? I'd love to help you with whatever it is that you needed to talk about." I said, hoping to lay his fears to rest.

"Well…" he started, still trying to dance around his issues. "Come on Seth, you can tell me anything and I won't judge you" I interrupted, rubbing his back a bit.

"I hope you're not lying…well, to be honest with you and I guess myself, I need to admit that I'm gay" he said, eyes beginning to fill with tears. "Please don't freak out. I just…couldn't take keeping it in anymore. I just feel so trapped." He whimpered, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

"It's ok Seth" I cooed. "You don't have to worry about me judging you, just like you don't have to worry about Jake, Quil, or Embry. We all care for you, no matter who you love." I said, not feeling it to be my place to let him know about Embry and Jake being a couple. The two hadn't exactly come out yet.

His eyes began to dry, but he still looked worried. "There is one person that I know will never accept it though. She keeps trying to hook me up with different girls that are my age and it's getting harder to deal with." He stated. I knew who he was talking about without any further explanation. It wasn't hard to figure out that he had heard his sister's opinions on homosexuality at some point. "Listen Seth. I know your sister voices her thoughts a lot, but you can't let that change who you are. She loves you, and she needs to accept you, no matter who you love. You can't make yourself miserable for someone else's benefit." I comforted.

He looked up and smiled for the first time since I saw him at my door. We had both been hiding from an important part of us. Maybe someday I'd find the strength to stop lying to everyone, but that day wasn't today.

"Now, how about we study. Can't have you doing poorly on your first round of exams!" I joked, ruffling his hair a bit. I would be whatever he needed me to be. Today that was a confidant, but I was beginning to develop the feelings that my life would never be complete without him. I wasn't willing to admit it yet, but the imprint was definitely beginning to make me love the kid, and I had no interest in fighting it.

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><p>First of all, I guess that a JakeEmbry pairing is my guilty pleasure. I just think that it fits well.

Now, the song for this one is Eminem's "Love The Way You Lie" featuring Rihanna. It's a mature song, but if you're reading this, I don't feel bad using it. This chapter is all about lies. Using lies to cover the existence of the pack, Seth lying to his sister, and Paul lying to himself. Now, you may notice that I've called this part 1. Although not as popularized, there is a part 2 to this song choice and I'll go ahead and say that it will be the piece for the next chapter. That's all I'm going to say about it, but if you're bored, I think that both songs are quite worth listening to, although I understand that some people may not like the genre. I can't wait to get the next chapter up, which should be in a couple of days. If you have any comments, thoughts, or anything else, please review. Hope you're enjoying it!


	6. Chapter 6: Love The Way You Lie Part 2

AN: Well, here's the next piece of the story. Considering the lack of a cliffhanger in the last one, the fact that this is considered a part 1/2 might seem odd, but I think that the respective chapters fit the pair of songs. That being said, thanks to everyone who has been giving feedback. Hope that you enjoy this chapter and if you feel inclined, I'd love to hear from you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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><p>Reviews:<p>

rAbiDmutt03: What can I say, I'm cruel. I think that I'll just reaffirm that statement right now ;) Hope you like it!

GoinnGaGa: Sorry to disappoint. It just wasn't something I wanted to play up yet. Not to say that it will be downplayed by everyone in the story, but that's for the future hehe. Hope you find this one to be up to snuff. I love this song and felt it'd be appropriate for this situation, long before the chapter was written.

Hank's Lady: Glad that you liked everything :) Coming off of writing an Embry story, I couldn't resist creating the pair again, even if it's just in the background to the main story. And Leah will come back up later, but first I get to have my fun with being cruel to everyone ;)

tinker03: Glad that you've enjoyed their subtle interactions. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

iJeedai: Looks like I'm not the only fan of the Jake/Embry pair haha. And yeah...I felt like adding to Seth's angst would be a cruel thing to do, and what can I say, I enjoy being cruel...

petra ppsilvia: Good to hear that you liked it. As much as it pains me to make Leah so close-minded, I felt like it added to Seth's drama and helped steer him towards Paul (especially with Jake being caught up in his imprint). As horrible as her opinions are, they do still exist, and it coming from within the family makes it even harder. Hope you enjoy this update!

TurnItUp03: Glad you've enjoyed it! And I'll try to show a little bit more of why Paul is how he is here. Hope you like where I take this one!

oh2byoung: Your support is highly appreciated Matt. And although nothing has happened yet, it's time to get the gears rolling a bit for Paul & Seth. As for Em/Jake, the pack knows, but no one else. As for Leah...well, she'll come up at some point. Great to hear that you're regaining normalcy and I hope you enjoy this one. Just know, that this chapter is payback. Don't hate me ;)

Hannah Smith: Glad that you've liked it. With some time, maybe they'll grow closer ;)

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><p>After his revelation, I spent a lot more of my free time with Seth. He didn't want to go public with it yet, particularly out of fear for how his family would react. Seth had me, at least, and took solace that I hadn't made it out to seem like it changed how I viewed him.<p>

In all reality, it had changed things for me, but not in any sort of judgmental way. The realization that he was gay opened the door for the fact that he could someday want more from me than just friendship. I'd obviously wait until he was ready to be more open with things, but the thought of being in a relationship with him began to creep into my thoughts on a regular basis.

I didn't ever let on that I had developed stronger feelings for him. Instead, I contented myself by being around him as much as possible. We continued to work together in class, I rejoined him at lunch, and we spent as much time as I could with each other on weekends and in the evenings. Leaving him alone while I went out for patrols was painful, but I had to remind myself that I was helping to keep him safe.

It would have probably been easier for Seth if Jake & Embry had gone public. Seth didn't understand why they had begun to spend even more time with each other and felt somewhat neglected by his idol. I obviously couldn't bring up the importance of pack duties to Seth and until they decided to let those outside of the pack know about them, Seth had to remain in the dark. It pained me to see him feel alone, so I tried to keep him in good spirits whenever I saw him.

Although it seemed slightly odd to me, I wasn't really bothered that the imprint was changing who I had been. I wasn't gay per se, but I wanted nothing more than to make Seth happy, whatever that entailed. I no longer had eyes for anyone else, never really getting to kick into the playboy existence that I had been known for growing up. Even in my lack of other relationships, I was willing to wait until Seth was ready to pursue something with someone. When he was, I'd approach him about it. He didn't need a relationship to complicate things for him right now, so I was there as his best friend.

My mood did begin to deteriorate a bit when I had to leave Seth though. I began to be snappy whenever I had to perform my pack duties. One afternoon I had been hanging out with Seth – him completely destroying me in whatever game we were playing – when I heard a person imitating a bark coming from outside. I didn't know what was important enough for whoever it was to pull me from my free time, but I knew I had to investigate. I was still the Beta, and with Sam and Leah having lunch off of the reservation, I had to make sure that everything was alright.

I told Seth that something had come up and angrily left the house. Sure he understood, but I never liked our time together to be interrupted. I walked outside to see Embry standing there in his cutoffs.

"What do you want, Em?" I practically snarled at him.

"Jesus, Paul. Just thought I'd see if my brother wanted to hangout for a while. I haven't seen you in a while and kinda wanted to catch up a little" he said staring at the ground.

I immediately felt like shit. I had pretty much abandoned everyone and withdrawn from the pack. Even though I knew that most of the pack wouldn't care that I imprinted, I couldn't let it get to Leah. Going by the way that she reacted to Jake & Embry's situation, there was no doubt that she wouldn't take kindly to my imprinting on her brother.

"I'm really sorry, Embry. I've just got a lot on my mind that I haven't been able to deal with very well." I mumbled.

He looked at me softly. "You know you can talk to me right? I mean, I kept my imprint a secret until Jake phased. Anything you say is safe with me." He responded as we began walking through the woods.

I sighed heavily, sitting down on a fallen tree. I didn't really want to tell anyone, but could I go on being this angry without them getting suspicious? He had trusted me without hesitation and I felt a bit guilty that I hadn't been willing to do the same. Even if it came back to bite me in the ass, I needed to show that I trusted him and hope that I felt a little better by not having this build inside of me like this.

"All right Em, I'm gonna trust you with this, but you have to hide it from the pack. I…I imprinted the week I moved here." I forced out.

"Oh Paul, is that why you've been so distant lately? I mean, why do you think that the pack would be bothered? We don't pick our imprints, you said it yourself when I imprinted on Jake. The only reason that it could impact the pack is if it was on someone in or related to…oh shit…" he trailed off, quickly putting two and two together.

I looked up and nodded at him. "Yeah…that's kinda why I've spent all of my free time with Seth and why I've acted so grudgingly when having to do pack things. Leah would kill me if she found out." I mumbled, feeling only a slight relief at having been able to let my secret out to someone else.

Embry pulled me into an embrace, which caught me completely off guard.. "I'm sorry that you've been going through this Paul. You could've let me know and I'd have been there for you, just like you were there for me when I first phased. Just know that your secret is safe with me. When the time comes, we'll all be there behind you." He said, staring straight in my eyes as if to prove his devotion to the statement. "Now, as much as I know you'd rather spend some time with Seth, you're coming cliff diving with me. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it." He smirked, pulling me with him towards the cliffs. As much as I loved spending time with Seth, I had missed getting to just relax with Embry and the rest of the pack. Maybe things would be easier if Seth phased someday, but I wasn't wishing that on him. As much as I'd like to spend time with him without secrets, I'd never want to have him live this dangerous lifestyle. Until that time – if it came – I just needed to try and find a balance and this was a nice start.

Patrols had been relatively busy for a while. We had been trailing another leech since we'd killed the one with dreads. We assumed it might have been his mate, but we didn't particularly care. The point was, there was another vampire plaguing the area and the red-headed bitch was quite shifty. We had gotten near her a few times, but we still hadn't put an end to her life...or whatever it was you call it. To be honest, she was running us ragged. In addition to just tiring us out because of the constant chase, she had broken Jared's leg, knocked Embry out, and fractured a few of Quil's ribs, all in the course of a week. We were getting frustrated with her, but we couldn't give up as long as she was invading our territory.

To make things worse, after the incident in the clearing the annoying girl, apparently called Bella, had blabbed about the existence of large wolves in the forest. Her father, the chief of police in Forks, had organized hunting parties to go after these killers, which meant that we had to be a lot more careful while hunting the leech. The elders did what they could to help us, working within the hunting parties to help hide the evidence of the pack's existence. We weren't really afraid of getting caught off guard, as we could sense the party's presence from a long enough distance to avoid them, but that didn't mean that we could be any less careful.

Unfortunately the vampire didn't have the same need to avoid the hunters. One day we were tracking her, but she began to head straight for the small group that was in the woods. Sam called most of the pack off, but I pushed forward. I knew that the group consisted mostly of people from the tribe who wouldn't go after me, so as long as I didn't cross Chief Swan, I'd be fine. Under these circumstances, there was no way that I was going to let her get away without a pursuit this time.

She had a decent lead on me, but she wasn't headed towards the water, which was her normal escape route. We might actually have a shot this time. Unfortunately she got to the hunters before I did. I approached cautiously until I saw her holding up Harry Clearwater, Seth's father, by his throat. I lunged at her, taking her down. I thought I had her but she broke free of my hold with a quick kick to my throat and took off. I was about to pursue when I heard the shouts about the elder Clearwater, so I phased back and ran to see what was happening. The gasping breaths didn't sound right and I felt a chill run through me.

I hadn't expected to see the man in this bad shape. The hunters were all gathered around him and Charlie was attempting to perform CPR. I stood in shock as I watched from a distance, knowing that there was nothing that I could do to help. After several minutes Charlie finally gave up and with tears in his eyes muttered two deafening words "He's gone…" The shock of the leech's attack had stopped his heart and now Harry had died. It was a simple statement, but the weight of it was tremendous. He had been relegated to the past tense, sent from an _is _to a _was_ in just a fraction of time. The man had been extremely nice, and I knew that Seth had always been close to him. This was going to devastate the young boy and there was nothing I could do to protect him from the pain.

I phased back and told Sam and the pack the situation. Leah had been dragged to Port Angeles by her mom for a "girl's day out," leaving Seth at home. Sam would probably be the one to tell Leah and Sue, but I had to get to Seth before anyone else did. I knew that I needed to be there when he found out so I set off towards his house, preparing to break the news to my imprint.

I phased back and dressed, walking into the Clearwater house. Seth was sitting there playing video games, a look of concentration on his face. I didn't want to do this, but we knew that he had the shifter gene in his blood and if he reacted poorly, this could go bad quickly. I cleared my throat and Seth looked up, startled.

"Oh, hey Paul. What's wrong? You look horrible." he asked, obviously noticing my discomfort.

"I need to come outside and talk to you" I mumbled. After a moment's hesitation, he placed the controller down, following me out onto his porch. "So, what's up? It's not like you to be so bothered by something." He said, worry creeping into his voice.

"Seth, I was out with the hunting party today. It's…it's your dad. We were walking out in the woods and something happened…he had a heart attack and didn't make it." I whispered, barely able to keep my emotions in. I hadn't known him all that well, but Harry had been quite nice to me and my mom when we had gotten here and just knowing what it meant to Seth was tearing me up.

The words began to seep into Seth's mind and his smile was immediately gone.

"You're lying!" He cried. "Why would you come up with some bullshit like this Paul! I thought we were friends! You just came her to fuck with me! You're such a dick!" He screamed, beating on my chest as tears began to flow freely. We both knew that there was no deception in my statement, but I was going to let him vent however he needed. Denial shouldn't be too unexpected. That morning he had seen his father and everything had been great. It's sad how quickly things can go to hell in a handbasket, however.

It wasn't long before he was sobbing into my chest. I held him, trying to comfort him as much as possible, but it's not like I had experience in this. I'd never really dealt with death before. My mom was the only family I had growing up, and being detached had always limited my exposure to anyone on the reservations we visited. Regardless of my inexperience in handling this kind of hurt, I was going to be there for my imprint, no matter what.

Suddenly I began to feel the shaking. Seth's emotions were beginning to run through his system, and although his body wasn't prepared, this shock had triggered what we had feared. He pushed away from me as he wrapped his arms around his torso and released a scream that I would never forget before finally exploding into a small, snarling, sandy-colored wolf. Under different circumstances, I would have taken in the beauty of his wolf form, but this wasn't the time.

I looked into his eyes, but there was no trace of Seth. Unlike the rest of us, Seth's transformation had taken place without the proper development. His mind wasn't able to fight with the wolf inside and the animal had taken complete and utter control. Although emotions did generally trigger the transformation, none of us had experienced anything quite like this. A fight with a parent or something else trivial could never compare to the pain that he was feeling.

Without hesitation, I phased, hoping to communicate and draw Seth back to the surface of his own consciousness. I called out to him, but there was no evidence that the boy was in the beast's mind. As I completed the transformation, the beast charged me. I quickly dodged to the side, but couldn't bring myself to do anything but parry his attacks. I had swore that I'd never hurt him, regardless of the circumstances. My wolf seemed to agree completely, having no intention of injuring its mate. He had a very quick attack pattern, and I just wasn't cut out for this kind of defensive fight. He was faster than I was and since I couldn't use my power advantage, I was at a loss as to how to protect myself. He locked onto one of my front legs, snapping the bone and greatly inhibiting my ability to dodge any more.

His bites and slashes were landing with greater frequency and I felt the blood beginning to drain out of my body. The pain was beginning to get to me and I was extremely dizzy, no longer able to focus on anything. It wasn't long after that before he finally flung me into the house. I crumpled against it, Seth's rage-consumed wolf approaching quickly. At this point I was completely helpless. Despite my size advantage, Seth had worn me down to the point that I couldn't continue. As I attempted to roll back over, I felt a slash across my chest and the blood began to flow freely from the wound. I could hear Sam yelling for me to defend myself, but at this point it was useless. Even if I had wanted to fight back, which I didn't, I had already lost this battle.

Seth's snarling form was the only thing in my vision. I felt myself slowly losing strength and could only hope that his wolf was satisfied with the damage that it had done. As I felt the teeth locking around my throat, however, that small bout of optimism disappeared. I quickly caved into the darkness, feeling oddly content with the fact that I was dying. We are what our imprints need us to be. In the past that had been brother, confidant, and best friend. Today that meant a way for my imprint to vent out his pain. I could only hope that he was able to get some peace out of the attack, as it was the final way that I was going to be able to fulfill my imprint's needs. That was my final thought as I plummeted into the abyss.

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><p>Well, there we have it. Hope everyone enjoyed! The song for this one is "Love The Way You Lie (Part 2)" by Rihanna and featuring Eminem. It is actually a separate song than the previous chapter, but I think it's quite fitting for the last half of the chapter. Anyway, here's the update and I hope that you'll find it worth reviewing if you like it. Heck, if you didn't like it, I appreciate the criticisms as well. This is my second fic and I'm still trying to develop as a writer. So yeah...until next time!<p>

Also, if I abandoned the story right here, would anyone get a sense of closure out of it? I mean...am I the only one that felt a little bit of finality out of the last bit? Just curious...

PS: There's a line from this chapter that comes from one of my favorite movies. Anyone catch the line and know the movie? Just a small inclusion that amused me...


	7. Chapter 7: Broken

AN: I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy leaving the last one as a cliffhanger. I'd had that chapter in mind since starting the story, so I enjoyed the reactions tremendously (sorry everyone, I'm a jerk, I know). Thank you everyone who reviewed and provided thoughts about what I should do. I guess it's time to see the decision. This one is written from Seth's POV, as you may recall that Paul wasn't exactly in narrating condition at the end of last chapter. Hope you enjoy this one, and as always, I appreciate any feedback!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

rAbiDmutt03: What can I say, I love a good roller coaster and being cruel is just second nature to me. And you're right, I did leave the door open to simply end the main character right there. I love giving myself that path ;)

perfectlyODD: Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I actually really enjoy writing them, but I know how painful they are as a reader. That one needed to happen though, if nothing else so I could figure out what to do afterward. Glad you enjoyed it though, and I'm happy that you found my song choice to be fitting!

Hank's Lady: You were the only one that I truly warned about my evil plans, even if I didn't go into specifics. Glad that even you were caught off guard by how far I took it ;) By the end of this chapter, Paul's fate will be addressed, one way or the other!

petra ppsilvia: Sometimes we have to prove ourselves against our neigh-sayers. I will not standby and have my reputation slandered hehe. Glad that you enjoyed it, and I hope that this new chapter provides some insight on why everything happened as it did (besides the obvious aspect of the phase itself).

tinker03: Don't worry, I'm not quite so bad as to end it like that hehe.

TurnItUp03: Thank you so much for your input. Our discussion truly impacted where I felt like I should address things and have influenced where I wanted to take the story. I hope you enjoy this one and will once again appreciate your opinion on everything!

RiseOfTheLemming: Welcome to the story! Glad that you found it to be readable, even if I went with a downward spiral of emotions at the end. Hope you continue to enjoy it!

iJeedai: Yeah, it was a rough chapter for everyone involved. And don't worry, I don't believe in leaving things quite that open. I provide closure, one way or another. Please don't attack me quite yet ;)

oh2byoung: Oh Matty, you're so fun to wind up. You used to be so opposed to violence. Now look at you...What's the world coming to? Couldn't help but to be cruel, but I do hope that you found some happiness from finally being home with Rich. Also glad that he was at least entertained by your reactions ;)

gothing-hands: Why thank you! I've had special plans for Seth's phasing since the beginning, so I'm glad you liked it!

Rustywhims: I was only joking about abandoning the story. I don't think that everyone would agree that there was enough closure with that chapter for it to be the last haha.

yes-my-name-is-seth: Glad to hear your input. You'd be right about me being ganged up on to push onward, so I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

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><p><strong>Seth's POV<strong>

I looked at myself in the mirror, unable to believe what I was. I looked like a harmless, lean teenage boy, but I could see nothing but a monster. What kind of normal person savagely attacks his best friend? I couldn't take it anymore and I walked out of the bathroom, completely disgusted with myself. I headed out the door, dressed in my suit but not at all prepared for the funeral that would force me to see the people that I'd been avoiding for the past few days.

It didn't take long to get to the cemetery. It had been decided to do everything at the gravesite with a closed coffin. We all wanted to remember him as he was, not as a body in a box. When I arrived, I joined my mother. Leah was with the pack, all of whom were standing at the back of the service. Well…almost all of them, I corrected myself as I shuddered; my thoughts beginning to plague me again.

I stood there, unable to face anyone. I had my eyes locked onto the coffin, barely paying attention to what the minister was saying. A few others came up to speak before the body was slowly lowered into the ground. The significance of the day began to overwhelm me and I felt the tears beginning to flow. My mom wrapped her arms around me. "He loved you Seth. He would want you to stay strong. To go on living as happy and carefree as you always were." She whispered, barely containing her own tears. I nodded at her, trying to make myself presentable again as I watched the first bits of dirt being thrown into the grave. I would never forget how much my father meant to me, and even if he wasn't around physically, I knew that he'd never abandon me in spirit.

After the service, my mother, Leah, and I spoke with the attendees, thanking them for coming and for their condolences. Afterwards mom and Leah went home, but I headed towards the Lahote house. I knew that I probably wouldn't be welcome there, but I at least wanted to apologize to his mother and see if Paul had shown any signs of improvement. I knew he was in bad shape, and it was all my fault. I had lost control and gone after the one person who had been there for me in recent months.

***Flashback***

I had heard the legends, but as I stood there as a wolf, I still didn't understand what was going on, my heart being plagued by the news of my father's passing. I saw Paul turn into a wolf in front of me, and afterwards I had no control of the situation. My animal side completely took over, attacking the creature in front of me. I expected that he'd fight back or at least defend himself, but he never did. I was trying to force the wolf to stop attacking, but I was failing miserably. As I broke his leg and began to hit him even harder, I began to fear that I wouldn't be able to stop. I was screaming in my mind to try to at least get the beast to ease up a bit, but it was to no avail. I had been emotional, but I never wanted to take it out on Paul. My wolf, however, was getting furious by his lack of retaliation. It kept demanding that Paul show his dominance and power, but as we flung him into the house, Paul just collapsed. I couldn't stop my claw from slashing through the flesh on his chest. I could feel my wolf going in for the kill and it was only when I felt the coppery taste of blood in my mouth that I was able to exert all of my effort into putting a halt to his actions. The wolf seemed discontent with how weak Paul had been, refusing to fight for himself. It receded back into my mind as Sam and the others approached rapidly, angrily snarling about the Beta not living up to standards.

The body in front of me turned back into the Paul that I had come to trust over the past several months. He was covered in deep gouges, his arm was completely misshapen, and worst of all, his throat and chest were bleeding profusely. He was lifeless and I already knew that I had become a murderer. How had I gone from a happy kid playing video games to such a horrible person in under an hour?

Sam coaxed me into phasing back and immediately began trying to work on Paul. My mom had arrived by this point, and despite the shock she'd had after hearing of dad's death, she still jumped into action. Sam and Embry carefully carried him into our house as mom broke out her medical supplies kit and went to work. My mom was a nurse and her training was the only hope that we had to keep Paul alive. We couldn't take him to a hospital because of the body temperature – not that he'd have lasted the trip over in his condition – so we'd have to make do.

Mom was already covered in blood, but was addressing the wounds as fast as possible. Sam and Leah were there too, wrapping gauze around the cuts across his body. After the neck had been wrapped tightly, Mom reset Paul's arm into what looked to be a more normal position. The most unsettling part of all of this was an eerie silence that penetrated the room. Paul's heartbeat was extremely faint and his breaths were too shallow to actually be providing him with what he needed. There were no screams of pain or anything to indicate that the body they were working on was still alive.

How could I have done this? Paul had been there for me through everything over the past few months. He'd comforted me when I was scared and never made me felt like a child. He had reacted to my being gay as if it was talking about the weather. He was the one to hold me after breaking the bad news, and what had I done? Looking at the body, I completely broke down. Although I hadn't admitted it to anyone, I had started to develop feelings for Paul. Now that I'd mauled him so badly, there was no chance that he'd ever want to speak to me again – if he survived the ordeal. I felt completely miserable and wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry. God I hoped he survived this, just so I could have the chance to apologize before being kicked out of his life.

By this point Embry had pulled me from the room. The others were doing all they could and my sobs weren't helping the situation. I followed him out of the house blindly, unable to see through my tears. I didn't care where he was taking me. If it was punishment that awaited, I fully deserved it.

Instead of being angry with me for what I'd done to his brother, Embry sat me down on a log and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I realized now that we were at the cliffs overlooking the ocean. We sat there in silence as I sank deeper into my thoughts and Embry waited until I was ready to talk. I understood that he had brought me out here to collect myself, which is exactly what I needed. After a few minutes, the tears had subsided, but I couldn't help but remained trapped in my thoughts. Was there any chance that Paul would be ok? Why didn't he defend himself? Why was my wolf so angry with him? What were they going to do to me?

"If he pulls through this, he's going to need you to be by his side" Embry said, not looking away from the ocean.

"You don't know what you're talking about Em. I shouldn't get anywhere near him. I may have killed him!" I vented.

"That being said, he would've been fine dying if it's what you needed to move on. He cares about you enough to give up his life if he has to. If you want him to get through this, you're going to need to be there to force him to." Embry responded, finally looking over at me.

"I don't understand what you're talking about. Why would he die for me? We've only known each other for a few months. Sure, I've come to really care about him, but why do I mean that much to him?" I questioned, not understanding what Embry was getting at.

"He refused to hurt you because…well, because he imprinted on you." Embry said softly.

Oh god…it's not that I had a problem with being Paul's imprint, but that made what I had done even worse. Why was I able to hurt him like that? And weren't imprints all about passing on the wolf gene? More importantly, why didn't I imprint, since apparently they were supposed to come in pairs? And most importantly, was my soul mate going to survive? All of these flew through my mind and apparently from my mouth.

"Well, you wouldn't be the first case of male shifters imprinting on each other. In fact, Jake and I are imprints. My only guess as to why you didn't imprint is because your wolf didn't approve of how Paul was acting. Between shifters, there's a bit of a dominant/submissive relationship. As a submissive, which, between the two of you I have to guess you are, your wolf wanted to draw out the dominant side of Paul. It's what we look for when it comes to our soul mates. Considering that Paul refused to fight back – out of his own view of what was best for you – your wolf refused to see him as your dominant. He obviously doesn't understand how he's supposed to react to you as a wolf as he's never been told about how most of these things work. I'd have been completely lost if it wasn't for some books I found at Jake's." He explained, making a lot of sense. My wolf had been angry, but I still couldn't believe that it had gotten to the point that it did. I guess I needed to show Paul that I needed to be protected, but that he still had to protect himself, even from me. I really hoped to get the chance to fix the situation…

"Just…figure out a better way to explain what I just said. I've heard bad things can happen when the word 'rejection' gets dropped around imprints. You just have to…draw out his protective, powerful side to show your wolf that he's the one. Now, if you're up to it, I think we need to get you back. You need to be there for your family and we should really find out how Paul is" Embry concluded, beginning to head back through the woods.

By the time we had gotten there, mom had successfully slowed the bleeding. She'd called Paul's mother to find out what kind of blood he'd need and fortunately Sam had been a match. He was stable, but still unresponsive. That night, Embry and Sam carefully moved him back to his house, still without receiving any indication that Paul was going to be alright.

***End of Flashback***

That had been the last time I'd seen him. The whirlwind of tasks surrounding a funeral had dominated the last few days, and as guilty as I felt about what I'd done to Paul, I was still grieving over the loss of my father. I had always been really close to the man and losing him left me emotionally devastated. I wasn't over it, but laying him to rest gave me a small sense of closure and although I was still hurting, I felt like I needed to see if there was anything I could do to help Paul and his mother.

I knocked on the door and after a few moments was greeted by Ms. Lahote. She looked exhausted and surprised to see me. I could only hope that she'd let me near her son after how I'd acted. My fears were quelled when she opened the door to let me into the house. I thanked her and silently made my way up to Paul's room.

The room looked very similar to when I had been in here months ago. I smiled as I remembered his first days here. He had defended me from Leah and made me feel like I mattered, even around his friends. That afternoon had been amazing and not even hanging out with Jake had matched it.

A lot of things began to make sense now. Jake, Embry, and Quil had always tried to distance themselves from Sam so I finally understood the uneasy tension that they had once had around Paul. Even the imprint didn't surprise me looking back. The night with the storm, he had been quick to comfort me, despite not knowing me all that well. It just felt right being in his arms. Then there was the first day of school and how quick he had been to protect me from that upperclassman who was bullying me. I hadn't had any problems since that afternoon. As much as I didn't like to see him so violent, I needed to draw out that side of him again. Maybe not in the same way, but I needed him to be a protector, not just a punching bag.

I finally willed myself to look at Paul. He looked peaceful, as if he didn't have a care in the world. I loved the thought of him being peaceful, but the fact that he was dead to the world didn't set well with me. I'd heard that he was on some pretty strong pain killers, but his healing wasn't nearly what a shifter was supposed to be capable of. Why wasn't he? I looked at the bandages covering his body. There were still traces of blood being absorbed into all of them. Seeing him covered in injuries and knowing that I was the monster responsible tore me up.

I sat down in the chair and began talking to him. I could at least hope that he was able to hear what I was saying, even if he couldn't respond.

"Paul, I need you to heal." I began with an unsteady voice. "I'm not sure I can live with myself if you don't make it. Even if I hadn't been the cause, it hurts me to see you in so much pain. So please, Paul, please come back to me. If you really are my imprint, you can't leave me in this world alone." I cried, fresh tears falling again.

I didn't leave Paul's side for the next few days. School allowed me the leave because of dad's death and the story was that Paul had been attacked by a bear. Only a beast could do this much damage…

As the week crept by, Paul showed no signs of waking, but blood had stopped pooling through the bandages. On the second day, I finally saw the remnants of the damage that I'd done. The gashes were still there, but they seemed to be sealing themselves up under the surface. They were bright red and looked extremely painful, but Mom's care had prevented any infections. It was awful, even after days of advanced healing and did nothing to make me feel better about what I'd done.

As the weekend came, all that was left were scars. The arm that I had broken had mended itself after it had been reset. His neck had healed without a sign of injury, but his chest had three prominent claw marks going across it which stopped healing after they'd sealed. I felt the tears creeping into my eyes yet again at the thought that I may have permanently scarred the beautiful boy in front of me. It didn't matter to me what he looked like, but was there any chance of him forgiving me for it?

Sunday was the first day with any major change. It was the fifth day that I'd been there. Ms. Lahote had insisted on cooking for me, which only made me feel more useless. I was the cause of her son's pain and she was taking care of me. I was pathetic. I sat there, continuing my pleas that Paul come back to me, never releasing his hand from my grasp. The rest of the pack had visited throughout the day, but nobody questioned why I was here. They could feel the guilt radiating off me and not even Leah had anything to say about how much time I was spending here. As night crept up on us, I sat in the darkness with him. That's when I felt the slight squeeze. I looked up in shock, believing it to be a hallucination. As I called out to him, I saw his eyes flutter open and lock onto me. I couldn't help myself as I reached around him and pulled him into a hug, only releasing him when I felt him tense in discomfort or...fear?

I looked at him in silence as I waited to see what his reaction would be. The look in his eyes was unreadable. I couldn't decipher if he was afraid to be in the room with me or if he was actually happy that I was there. His veil was making me uneasy as I began to fear that he was going to demand that I leave.

"What's up, pup?" he asked tiredy with a small smile attempting to form on his face. With those words, I knew that he wasn't going to kick me out of his life. I smiled back at him as my emotions began to take over again. He was awake and for now, at least, didn't seem to hate me. Now I just needed to help him recover and help him become what he was meant to be: my mate...my dominant.

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><p>Well, your pleading has been heard and the story has been continued. Anyone actually start to get angry when I started the chapter like that? It just seemed like a proper follow through after the last one...<p>

So, the song for this one is "Broken" by Seether, featuring Amy Lee. It's all about wanting to take pain away and expressing love. The emotions seemed to fit what Seth was going through, but I won't say that it's my best song choice of the story. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I appreciate those of you who voice your opinions in a review!


	8. Chapter 8: Dismantle Repair

AN: Really sorry that it took so long to get another post up. I got really distracted by some other forms of entertainment this week, so this update has taken a little longer than usual. Hope you'll forgive me and enjoy the new chapter. I hope to post a little more often than once a week, but we'll see. Real life might be changing things soon, but I can't be sure yet. For now, however, here's the new one. I appreciate all of you that get inspired to review! Also, this chapter's existence is partially responsible to rAbiDmutt03's pressure to update hehe.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

perfectlyODD: I like to make everyone suffer a bit. I'm sort of a cruel soul hehe.

rAbiDmutt03: Ask and you shall receive...at least, you'll receive another chapter haha. Don't expect the same softy as the story progresses ;)

lilcountrygirl6904, tinker03, ViviCar: Glad you all have enjoyed it and hope you continue to do so!

Happy Face21: Yeah...couldn't help but to throw in that small one-liner. We'll see how their dynamic works as time goes, and I'm glad you liked how Seth's emotions were expressed. Hope this one doesn't disappoint!

TurnItUp03: Heh, getting a rise out of people is a little bit fun. Might be the second most fun I've had with this one (first being the chapter before it). Glad you didn't mind how I reasoned everything out, as I really wanted to address some of the issues of _why_ things played out as they did. Hope you like this one!

RiseOfTheLemming: I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was trying to scare people with the first bit. Way too much fun...Glad that you enjoyed everything and hope that this one doesn't disappoint!

heartsgirl: Good to hear that you've enjoyed something outside of your normal zone. I really find the pair to be a nice contrast, and I wanted to change up the normal dynamic of relationships (and not have Emily). Hope you continue to like it!

Hank's Lady: Yeah...I kinda liked writing that twist of a start. And you will pay for all of these mockeries. And like I said, I WILL give you the credit for angering me when the angst flows heavily again ;) Hope you like this one! haha

iJeedai: Good to know that I'm safe from being attacked for now! And I couldn't resist writing that beginning...

Hannah Smith: Glad you like my rendition of the traditional hothead. Hope you keep enjoying!

oh2byoung: It was worth a shot, bud. Glad I at least made my evil style work on some people, even if you avoided it! Good to hear that you enjoyed it, and I hope all is well on your side!

Ratts: I think that was more of a threat than anything. I'd have at least closed with a depressing last chapter if I'd killed him hehe. Glad you've enjoyed it and hope you like where things go!

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><p><strong>Paul's POV<strong>

It'd be nice to say that all of the pain was forgotten as I looked up into Seth's worried eyes, but this wasn't a fairy tale. I tried to force a smile, but it wasn't long before the unpleasant sensations began to take over my responses. I couldn't be sure exactly how long I'd been out, but I could feel a burning sensation coursing through all of my injuries. I looked down, expecting to see large cuts, but everything seemed to be healed or scarred already. Maybe this was just my body healing itself, but damn it, it didn't feel much better than the attack itself.

Noticing my pain, Seth had rushed to a drawer and pulled out a needle. He emptied its contents into my system, and I couldn't help but to relax as its effects took over my system. I don't know what it was or how he got it, but that needle was the best thing I'd ever felt. I let the soothing feelings engulf me, drifting back into a peaceful slumber.

When I woke up next, most of the burning pain had disappeared. I was still achy, but overall, it was much more bearable. Once again, Seth was right there by my side, watching over me as I awoke again. He didn't look like he had slept much lately and I couldn't help but to feel sad for him.

"You look tired, pup. Why don't you go home and get some sleep?" I asked gently.

His tears were the last thing I expected to see from that simple question. "Damn it Paul, quit worrying about me! Can't you just be mad at me like you should be?" He shouted.

"Listen Seth, I'm not angry with you. I can't be. I'll always want what's best for you." I responded. Maybe we had different opinions on what had happened, but I still couldn't make myself hold anything against him.

He sighed and shook his head. "Fine, if you're going to be irrationally calm, I'll be the reverse. What the fuck were you thinking?" He demanded.

"I was doing wh – " I began.

"No, don't even try that with me. What's best for me! Keeping me in the dark about you all, as well as the imprint, may have been for that. Hell, even keeping things from Leah falls into that category. But being willing to sacrifice yourself like that? You're being ridiculous. I needed to be calmed, showed my place. Explain to me how you – who are supposed to be my soul mate – think I'd be better off by killing you, rather than having you there to be with for the rest of my life!" He fumed.

"I – "

"I'm not done yet." He interrupted. "You think that the guilt of killing you would help me out in the long run, just so I could vent my dad's death? Or is it that you just don't value being with me forever? Whatever your reasons, you need to value your life more than that. If it takes me walking away from you right now to do that, I'll be the smart one here." He finished, emotion filling his words.

"NO!" I exclaimed. If he was looking to get a rise out of me, he'd done it. "I mean, you have every right to walk away…I just don't want you to. Listen, I'm sorry for being so stupid. I just thought that…well, the thought of hurting you didn't make much sense to me…" I said lowly.

"Listen Paul, I don't want to abandon you. I know what would happen if I did, but I need you to actually fight to protect yourself, even from me. Can you promise me that?" He asked.

"Yes. If that's what you want, then I will do it" I said, hoping that it meant that he'd let me be part of his life. His slight grin told me that I had a shot. "Out of curiosity…if you know about the imprint, does that mean that everyone else does?" I asked, slightly worried about what it could mean for him if Leah found out.

"No…Embry is actually the only reason I know. We talked about what happened and he explained everything. Leah and everyone haven't questioned the fact that I've been here so much over the past week after what happened…" he trailed off.

Holy shit. A week? I guess I couldn't complain since I had been confident that he was going to kill me that day, but still…wow. That's a long time.

Seth went downstairs to talk to my mom and ultimately alerted the pack to my awakening. Over the next few hours I saw everyone, taking in the annoying questions from everyone. Sam even asked why I had let myself lose, and I just explained that I had gotten attached to Seth and wasn't able to hurt him, just like Jared had argued against doing back when I arrived. After a stern "Don't let it happen again" he was off, and I felt the relief of an empty room again. I'd convinced Seth to go home now, knowing that he at least needed to be there for his mom. I knew he was still hurting as well, but there were some wounds that only empathy could help with and I really didn't know how to handle death.

I stayed out of school for the next week. I figured that I'd earned the vacation week, even if I could have prevented all of the pain in the first place. Although most of my wounds were healed completely, there was still a slight soreness. For some reason my chest still bore the scars across it, so I'd been wearing a shirt more often. I wasn't bothered by the marks, but I could see how Seth looked at them. On Wednesday evening, I ventured over to Sam's, wanting to make my presence felt by the pack again. When I got there, I noticed that Sam was outside with Jared, so I joined Embry on the couch, watching whatever he had put on the television. Quil and Leah were finishing up their dinners, preparing to relieve Jake and Seth from patrol. Shortly after they took off, I heard laughter as Jake and Seth walked into the house.

"Hey Paul, how's it going?" Jake asked, smiling broadly. Now, normally I didn't have an issue with Jake, but I couldn't help the growl that came out of me as I looked over and saw his arm draped over Seth's shoulders. "Easy Paul, he's my imprint, remember?" Embry whispered. Jake looked utterly confused for a moment before dropping his arm as realization set in. Wait…realization?

"Did you tell everybody?" I quietly snapped at Embry.

"No!" Embry responded quickly. "I just…couldn't lie to Jake when he pondered as to why things happened the way they did last week. You know what it's like…" he trailed off.

I guess I couldn't blame him. You really just can't lie to your imprint. I sighed and nodded at him, finally calmed down. "Sorry Jake." I apologized.

"Wow, he's apologizing? You've really got him whipped Seth!" Jake said, smirking at the younger boy.

Something between the statement and his looking at Seth triggered something in me. He had his own imprint, so why was he goading me, let alone looking at mine? Before he could react, I launched myself off the couch at him, catching him completely by surprise. I had him pinned to the ground, a slight fear lingering in his eyes. I smirked down at my prey, proud that I had so easily taken down the rightful alpha. "Why don't you lay off a bit and go be with your imprint. I don't need your bullshit to go with everything else" I whispered, leaning down to ear level so that the others didn't hear. Before Jake could even respond, I felt myself being knocked off of him by Embry.

I chuckled as I stood back up. "Sorry little bro. Just needed to have a quick talk with your other half" I half joked. My wolf was outraged that another shifter would be that close to Seth, and I couldn't help but agree. Jake seemed to get the message though, and I couldn't help but grin at the thought of having knocked him down a peg or two, even in my beat up form. Seth just shook his head, but he couldn't hide his amusement.

That weekend I decided I needed to have a little fun. I headed out toward the cliffs that Embry had shown me the day I told him about the imprint. Cliff diving was a rush that I hadn't felt in anything else. I got in the Mustang, taking off in the proper direction. Before I made it out of town, however, I saw Seth and Embry walking together. What they were doing together I couldn't understand, but I felt absolutely no threat from my brother.

I pulled over to the side of the road, hopping out to see what they were up to. "Hey guys, what's up?" I asked curiously.

"Em was just heading back for patrols. He's been explaining some things to me and letting me see some books that he got from Jake. What about you?" Seth replied.

"Just heading over to the cliffs for a little bit of fun. Em showed me the joys of cliff diving, and I'm pretty sure that I'm hooked on it now" I chuckled.

"Mind if I come? Didn't really have anything else planned…" Seth asked.

"Do you even have to ask?" I joked. We bid Embry farewell and continued on the way towards the cliffs.

Once we arrived, I walked up to the place that people launched themselves from. To the normal person, this would be pretty dangerous, but we had the benefit of shifter genes. The tide wasn't that bad, and the cold water was something that we couldn't feel at all. If anything, it was pretty relaxing at our higher temperatures.

I peeled off my shirt and turned towards Seth, who had done the same. He stopped moving, however once his eyes crossed my chest. He walked over, placing his hand at my shoulder and dragging his hand down the marks. I could see the tears welling up in his eyes. "Gotta love the battle scars, eh? The pup that made them was a pretty impressive fighter, even without practice" I joked, trying to show him that I didn't care. He smiled slightly and with a nod, we sprinted off the edge of the cliff.

We continued the rotation of jumping, swimming, and climbing back up for well over an hour. We talked a good bit, but even the silence was comfortable. It was just easy being around Seth, and I could tell that he was relaxed as well. After a while, we just sat at the edge of the cliff and chatted lightly.

"So…" I started, readying myself for a more important topic. "Now that I can ask you, what is it that you want out of this imprint?" I asked, slightly afraid of the answer. I knew how I felt about him, but I wasn't even sure that he felt the same about me, even if he had admitted that he was gay.

He shifted uncomfortably before looking at me. "Well…I guess I want you to be there for me right now. Someday I'd like a relationship, if that doesn't bother you, but I can't handle that right now. Especially not with Leah being like she is and the recent passing of Dad...so if you're willing to be it, I'd just like my best friend for now." He responded, looking at me hopefully.

"Seth, I won't ever pressure you into anything you don't want. When you're ready, we can be something more, but I'm whatever you need." I said, smiling at him. Friendship was fine, at least for now. He wanted a relationship, but I knew how difficult it'd be for him. We'd work on that later.

We chatted for a little while longer. As the sun began to descend, I decided it was about time to head back. That's when I sensed the sickly sweet smell in the air. Seth seemed oblivious to it, but he hadn't really had much practice sniffing them out. He seemed completely relaxed, but I was in a panic. I didn't think there were many, but I didn't want Seth near them. I could feel them approaching and knew that I couldn't really do anything at this point. Well…I couldn't do anything to escape, but that didn't mean I couldn't get Seth out of the equation.

"I hope you'll forgive me for this" I said with a smirk, hiding my unease.

"What are you tal –" Seth started before I shoved him off the cliff and back down into the ocean.

A moment later I caught a glimpse of a pair of them approaching me on the cliff. They didn't speak, but the blood red eyes did away with any doubt of what they were. I immediately phased, hoping to connect to those on patrol. Unfortunately we were in a changeover, so there was no one else there.

The vampires were caught off guard by my phasing, not seeming to know about us shifters. Must be newborns. They tried to rush me, but I was ready. The first got too close and I ripped her arm off quickly. The second got a pretty good kick on me, but nothing bad. We circled each other before the female attacked again. This time I got her by the throat, evening the odds. The other one seemed distressed, but charged recklessly. We fought pretty evenly for a bit before we heard Seth's voice permeating through the air. "What the hell, Paul!" He shouted, coming back up the path. The vampire looked over, providing me with just enough of a distraction to rip his head off, ending the threat. I phased back and found my lighter, igniting the bodies, just in case they found a way to come back.

I was breathing heavily and Seth could see the smoke rising as he began to put everything together. As his eyes locked on mine, I could see himself becoming lost inside the connection that was being formed. Yeah, by now I'd seen the look a few times and didn't even need to question it.

He slowly walked towards me, never breaking eye contact. When he reached my naked form, he wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling our faces together. The kiss was unlike any other that I'd ever had. Our tongues battled for dominance until he finally relented, completely submitting to my power. I deepened it, exploring all of him that I could until the stinging need for air took over.

We broke the kiss, both panting heavily with grins plastered on our faces, as I still helped to hold him up. "Wow" was all he could mutter. "Guess your imprinting changed what you wanted, eh?" I smirked.

"I'm not sure yet, but I could get used to that." He said sheepishly.

Nothing could ruin this moment between us I thought. A voice reminded me that I should never dare to have that thought.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing with my brother, you pervert!" she screamed. The look on her face let me know that she had seen everything. There was no denying what had happened, and I kinda felt bad for bringing this drama into Seth's life, but what's done is done. Now it was time to face the wrath of Leah…

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><p>AN: Not sure that anyone is shocked to hear that Leah isn't responding very kindly to what she's seen, considering how she's been written thus far. The confrontation should be pretty fun though hehe.<p>

The song I chose for the chapter is Anberlin's "Dismantle. Repair." Its lyrics are talking about change, love, and how a single person can mean everything to another. Seth obviously already dismantled Paul once, so it's time that he got a bit of a repair. Plus I really just like the song. I'll try to be a little quicker with the next update. Reviews are always appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9: The Messenger

AN: Hey look, less than a week turnaround time. Real life has been busy, but I did get the inspiration (and time) to figure out where to go with this chapter. I hope that you all enjoy it, and if you're feeling kind, I'd love to hear what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

perfectlyODD: Leah just has to ruin things sometimes ;o) At least in my world she does hehe. And it can never be that simple, can it?

Hank's Lady: Glad that you enjoyed it! I'm being soft for now, but I still have my darker plans waiting in the wings. Or better yet, I'm just gonna let people thing that I'm a softy. Makes the turnaround even better!

iJeedai: Dominance has to be shown somehow! The vamps may have been important too, but pushing Seth off the cliff seemed fun hehe. Hope you continue to enjoy!

rAbiDmutt03: Hey...a chapter is better than no chapters? haha. Glad that you enjoyed it, and hope that you find the clash to be amusing!

Nesi Cullen, Phoenix xxxxx: Glad that you've enjoyed!

yes-my-name-is-seth: Glad that you liked it! Also, I still shudder at the spiders. Hope you enjoy this one!

oh2byoung: What can I say...I got distracted. This is a little quicker though. Glad that you liked it, and I'll talk to you soon bud.

ant1gon3: Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you've liked the story. Hope you continue to do so, and I'm a big fan of Paul as well!

Hanna Smith: Good to hear that you're enjoying the story, even if you don't like my twisted take on Leah. She does make a great villain for this though...Hope you continue to like it!

TurnItUp03: Glad you liked it. I'm trying to at least advance the plot in some degree with every chapter, but there will be some filler vibes that fit the cause. Oddly enough, I normally really like Leah. She just makes such a good antagonist for now. We'll see if that changes at some point though...

RiseOfTheLemming: Yeah, I felt like it was time to show that Paul needed to place himself among the other dominant wolves. Glade you liked it, and Leah did create an issue towards the end hehe.

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><p>I looked back at Seth and knew that he wasn't ready to come out and face his sister. Hell, he'd already said that he just wanted to be friends for now, and Leah's approach wasn't doing anything to make him change his opinion. That's when an idea to at least get Seth out of this came to me.<p>

"Hit me." I whispered urgently, knowing that Leah was getting closer.

"What?" Seth asked, startled.

"Just hit me, curse me, and then take off. I'll take care of your sister." I responded.

Understanding dawned his eyes as he nodded slightly. "Thanks, Paul…" he said quietly before pulling back from me. He pulled his arm back and connected his fist with my jaw. The pup definitely didn't hold back, but I knew that it had to be convincing. "Fuck you Paul!" he yelled, storming off past his sister with tears in his eyes.

"What the fuck did you do to my brother!" Leah sneered, practically shaking already.

At times like these, I was glad that I was quick on my feet. "Well, what can I say? I came to like your brother over the past few months. When he told me he'd never been kissed, I decided to at least show him what it was like. Guess I hoped that he wouldn't get too mad, considering the past couple of weeks, but apparently I was wrong" I chuckled, rubbing my jaw. The only thing that I could come up with was to be a complete ass. Make Seth out to be the victim and take on Leah's attack on my own. Maybe not the smartest idea, but it worked.

"You asshole! Trying to steal my brother's innocence! He's not even gay!" She fumed, venom dripping from her words. Yep, pretty sure he was safe now.

"Well, sorry 'bout it? Who knows, maybe I could have made him enjoy it if you hadn't come along" I laughed.

With that, she launched herself at me, phasing in midair. I was back to being a wolf before she got to me, hastily dodging to the side. She lunged at me a few times and we each got a few nips in, but nothing serious. Her words were probably the most painful things in the fight. "You and your brother come into our pack, trying to spread your disease! Jake may have been converted, but you're not getting anywhere near Seth!" She yelled, going after my neck. She really wasn't pulling any punches, but I knew that I couldn't really hurt her.

I just needed to end this without having to face Sam for injuring his imprint. She had me backed to the cliff, but I was prepared for her next lunge. I ducked my head under her, raising up as she was nearly on top of me. I sent the she-wolf flying over me and down towards the water. Years of fighting had really paid off I guess. I'd taken down Jake, some newborns, and now Leah, all in the course of a week. Not exactly what I figured I'd be fighting here in La Push, but things were feeling a bit similar to the old days.

Unfortunately, self-satisfaction is a bit distracting, and I soon felt myself being knocked over and a claw being pushed into my throat. "Phase back" the voice growled in my head, and as I involuntarily shifted, it hit me that Sam was normally on patrol with Leah nowadays. He shifted back as well, not freeing me from his grasp. "What did think you were doing? You dare attack my imprint!" He yelled ferociously.

"Technically, I defended myself. Besides, it's not like I hurt her" I retorted.

That's when I saw her stomping back up the path. "I should kill you! At least that would keep you away from my brother, you sicko!" She berated. "Actually, I think I can get that accomplished anyway" she said, a sinister smile creeping onto her face as she whispered something in Sam's ear. As if she had any power to keep me from Seth. I'd just have to be more careful.

Sam's words, however, rattled my core. "At the request of my imprint…" he began, hesitating as if he didn't want to do what he was about to. "I order you to stay away from Seth. Don't approach him, don't talk to him, and do what you can to steer clear of him at all times." He commanded, utilizing the authority of his Alpha voice.

Fuck…I could already feel the power of his words imprisoning all of my urges to go and see Seth. Maybe I should've come up with a better story, but I still couldn't think of a more fool-proof way to keep Seth out of this. Didn't see this as a possible repercussion though and I felt as if my world was crashing down.

I stared at Sam in disbelief as he got off of me and simply walked away, phasing to continue patrol. He was followed by Leah, who just stared at me with daggers in her eyes before taking off as well. I was left there to think about what had just happened. I had just been commanded to stay away from my imprint. I didn't even think that it was possible for an Alpha order to overpower something like that, but I could feel my body refusing to go towards the Clearwater house. After a while of sitting there, I finally dragged myself to my car, driving back to the reservation. I went straight home, and collapsed onto my bed. "How am I going to deal with this?" I asked to the emptiness as I tried to fight for some sleep.

The next few days were extremely painful, especially as I couldn't find a way to talk to Seth. I'd tried everything to break the order, but my body was my enemy. When I walked into second period, he was seated in his usual spot. Instead of going to mine, my legs took me to the opposite corner of the room. He looked hurt, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't force myself to go towards him.

I didn't even bother going to lunch. My appetite was nonexistent – probably not a good sign, I know – and there was no way that going into that room would turn out well. I couldn't sit with Seth, which eliminated Jake, Embry, and Quil. I refused to go anywhere near Leah, so Sam & Jared were out too. Instead I just headed to the gym. I knew there was a punching bag and I needed to vent in some way that wouldn't get me kicked out of school. The distraction was only marginal, but it was all I had.

I wasn't able to sleep for the next few nights. Sam's control was really starting to piss me off. The fact that he'd done something so harsh at his imprint's request astonished me. Then again, I guess it shouldn't have. He didn't really know what he was doing, and I completely understood his inability to deny his imprint even the simplest of things. But still, it hurt…a lot…

By Thursday, Seth didn't even look up when I walked into the room. The rare instances where I caught his eyes, I was shocked by what I saw. They looked empty. As I took him in, I realized how bad he actually looked. He was pale and his eyes looked red as if he'd been crying. His face looked exhausted, indicating that he hadn't gotten much sleep either. It pained me that I hadn't seen his smile since our day on the cliffs. He wasn't taking this cold treatment very well either, and I knew it was my fault. I wasn't strong enough to fight against Sam's authority.

The next day, Seth didn't show up to school. I went from distressed to completely panicked when I walked into our class. As soon as it was over, I took off towards the lunch room. At least my brother could let me know if anything was wrong.

"What the hell is wrong with you" Jake erupted as I approached.

"What do you mean?" I asked, startled at the outburst.

"I mean how you've been treating Seth! How the hell can you, who's already imprinted, deny his imprinting on you?" he sneered, lowering his voice so that no one else heard.

Deny the imprint? Is that what Seth had gotten out of my actions? "Fucking A…" I muttered, rubbing my temples.

"That's the best you've got?" he angrily chided.

"It's complicated. Just get off my ass, Jake." I muttered, my temper rising to meet his.

"Fuck you. At least I actually care about him." He retaliated.

At that, I saw red. I know he was my brother's imprint, but how dare he imply that I didn't care about Seth. Jake never saw my fist coming until he was flat on his back, blood beginning to flow from his nose. Embry was about to come at me before the principal's voice sounded over everything else. "Mr. Lahote, I'll see you in my office, NOW!" he demanded.

I headed out of the cafeteria and followed him to his office. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked incredulously. "We have a no fighting policy here."

"He said something that didn't set well with me. He got what he deserved" I said nonchalantly. I had no guilt for what I'd done.

"Well, whether you're remorseful or not is irrelevant. I'll be calling your mother, and you're suspended for the next week, starting now." He said with finality.

"Fine" I muttered, walking out of his office. I couldn't care less about his trivial punishment. Jake deserved to get punched.

I stormed out of the school and made my way back towards the house. I hadn't planned on staying long, but mom was there waiting for me with an eerily calm look on her face.

"After last time, I'm going to take this a little more calmly." She started. "Care to explain why you punched a classmate today?" she asked.

"Well…" I began. She knew about everything, so could I tell her about this? The conversation about sexuality had never really come up between us. I decided to be a little vague about the details. "He said that I didn't care about my imprint" I responded, leaving out the name.

Her face softened immediately. "I had no idea that you imprinted! Why didn't you tell me?" she questioned.

"It's just complicated. Not even the full pack knows, and I plan to keep it that way" I responded.

"All right" she sighed. "There are some things that I won't get involved with, but please try and resolve things without violence next time. I actually would like to stay in good graces here." She said, turning away.

"I'll try…" I said, surprised by how well she had taken things, especially considering my history with fighting. I went up to my room to think for a bit, before catching sight of my guitar in the corner. I instinctively picked it up and started playing a couple of songs to get my mind in order. I wasn't in the greatest mood, and my song choices reflected that, each one of them with some kind of negative outlook on things. After a while I set it down, planning to head to the beach when Sam called, asking me to come over. Guess I had some explaining to do, but I couldn't use the same excuse that I had with mom.

Sam wasn't nearly as collected as mom was. I arrived to immediate shouting, demanding an answer as to why I had punched a packmate. He was irate that I'd dared lay hands on two different imprints in the course of a week. If he only knew that there was only one that I wanted to lay my hands on…

I completely dodged the truth, simply stating that he'd gotten under my skin. We continued to argue about things for a while before his agitation finally spewed over. "Damn it Paul! You've done nothing but cause problems for the past week. I'm starting to think that I should strip you of being the Beta of this pack." He yelled.

"You know what, Sam? Fine. You can give the position to someone else. I don't give a damn anymore." I responded furiously, storming out of the house and slamming the door. Screw Sam. Screw the pack. I couldn't be near the one person that I was meant to be with, so why should I give a damn about any of them? I would have been ready to break my connection to the pack if I didn't know that doing so would lead to my banishment. Rogue wolves were not allowed in the territory of another pack and as much as this hurt, being forced farther from Seth would be even worse.

That night, everything changed. I was still sitting in my room, brooding over the shit show that had been the past week when I heard the loud clap of thunder and rain began to downpour in the pitch black night. I immediately felt the same twisted feeling in my stomach. As the storm picked up, the feeling began to burn and I could immediately tell something was wrong. I dashed out of the house, heading straight towards what I knew could only be my imprint. I phased immediately, running as fast as I could in the direction that my heart was pulling me. It wasn't long before I found Seth curled up in the fetal position, being carefully stalked by a small vampire girl. Without second thought, I ripped the creature's head off before continuing on to Seth.

I phased back and gathered him up in my arms. Seth was shivering and looked completely fragile, tears streaming down his face and mixing with the rain. I carried him through the woods, knowing that I needed to get him out of the storm as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, Sam's was the closest house. I wasn't going to let him suffer all the way to the other side of the reservation. I quickly approached and Sam was already waiting on his porch with Jake.

"How the hell did you find him! He phased out during patrol for some reason and I couldn't find him in the storm!" Jake frantically yelled as I carried Seth inside. I ignored his question and wrapped Seth in a few blankets that were readily available and pulled on a pair of shorts that were thrown at me. With that small amount of decency taken care of, I wrapped my arms around Seth as he nestled up against me on the couch. The only positive thing about the situation was that Leah was spending some time with her mother tonight.

Sam just looked at me with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Not that I'm not grateful but…How? How did you even find a way to go after him, let alone know where to look?" he asked, clearly shocked that I'd shattered his Alpha order.

"I could feel that something was wrong. I was aware that Seth was terrified of storms, so when I realized he was patrolling, I knew that he was in danger. Fortunately the vampire that was nearing him was too cautious to attack without understanding why he was so vulnerable, so it gave me the opportunity for a simple kill." I explained.

Sam still looked disbelieving. "That still doesn't explain how you broke the command" he whispered, not having gotten over the fact that his order had been circumvented somehow.

"He's my imprint" the small figure huddled against me mumbled from beneath the blanket. I couldn't believe that he'd just admitted our secret to Sam, but if he was ready to deal with the consequences, then so was I. Seth looked up to me with love in his eyes as I pulled him closer.

"He's your…oh shit…Paul…I'm so sorry. If I had known I would have never…" he trailed off.

"Never what?" Seth asked, regaining composure under the blankets and in the protection of my arms.

"I…I ordered him to stay away from you…" Sam said dejectedly, fully coming to terms with what his simple command had actually done.

Seth stiffened, pulling himself up beside me. "You mean…you mean you weren't trying to deny me after what happened?" He asked with tears in his eyes.

"No, Seth. I'd never deny you anything." I whispered.

"I thought that after fighting with Leah you decided that it wasn't worth having to put up with someone like me…" he said sadly.

"Listen to me Seth. I'll do whatever I can to make you happy. I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to break through earlier, but I will never leave you like that again." I swore, staring into his eyes. Even Sam couldn't keep us apart. If I'd been slower that vampire might have…no, I couldn't think like that.

Jake looked over at Sam with a look of anger in his eyes. "I'm sorry Paul" he said simply. "Knowing imprints, I should've known that something else was up" he said lowly.

"Listen…don't worry about it. It's over now." I said softly, briefly looking at him before turning back to Seth. Jake nodded, muttering something about finishing patrol before taking off. Sam left us on the couch, heading to his room without another word. Now that we were alone, I pulled Seth and his blankets down onto the couch with me, taking in his scent and sighing with contentedness at finally being able to hold him again. We both relaxed as we allowed ourselves to sleep peacefully for the first time in a week, not worried about what tomorrow might hold.

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><p>Sorry if everyone expected more violence between Paul &amp; Leah, but the imprint aspect does limit things haha. The song of choice for this chapter was Linkin Park's "The Messenger." It's on the same album as Iridescent, but what can I say, I like what I like. The lyrics talk about how love can pull you through things, when all else seems lost. The title seems to fit Sam pretty well, as he was really just following Leah's request. She's coming off as a real bitch in this isn't she? Eh well...hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you feel inclined, I'd appreciate a review!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10: Two Is Better Than One

AN: Thank you everyone for your comments. They really help shape what I'm thinking and give me the inspiration to push on. Now, everyone seemed to get angry with Sam, and I understand where you're all coming from. I want to point out that he's an imprint and he didn't know all the details of Paul's background. So...yeah, I'm letting him off pretty lightly, so I hope you won't all get angry at me for that. Here's the latest update, and well, here's a warning to say that the M rating may come out to play for a bit ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

NCChris: Glad that you've liked the story! I understand where you're coming from, but I'm limiting my blame on Sam. Won't let him be walked on quite so much in the future though ;) Hope you continue to enjoy!

rAbiDmutt03: What can I say, you continuously push me to write more haha. Glad you enjoyed it and hope that you like this one!

ant1gon3: Actually that would be a fun chapter to write. Sadly, I'm focusing almost exclusively on Paul's perspective, but I do like the idea. I can almost imagine how it would go, but I'm pushing on with the next segment. That would be a really enjoyable chapter to have done the double-POV on though. Unfortunately, my muse is pushing the story forward for now, so this time it won't happen. Thanks for the review!

Hank's Lady: Oh Sarah...Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. I'm going to revel in being the nice guy for a little. But don't worry, all good things must come to an end eventually ;)

TurnItUp03: What can I say, the imprint has its power. Sam does need a bit of a backbone though. Almost as soft as Paul was letting Seth just walk all over him hehe. Figure Paul is the dominant. Seth is just a little too innocent to save Paul...for now. Who knows, in the future it might not be the same situation!

perfectlyODD: I love being cruel to everyone. Truly love it haha. But if I'm going to have Leah be so cruel, I had to give Sam a little bit of slack hehe.

yes-my-name-is-seth: Yeah, they were in a pretty bad way there for a bit. Smother sailing now? Maybe...or maybe not hehe.

iJeedai: Yeah, it pains me a little to make her out to be so evil, but sometimes you need a villain. Hope you like this one!

tinker03: Glad you liked it!

REJ624: I understand where you're coming from. There were a lot of people at fault, but you can't forget that Sam didn't fully know or have the background to understand Paul like he would the others. Hope you continue to read and enjoy!

GoinnGaga: Glad that you've been keeping up! Hope that it's been worth the read. I think it's time to allow the two to have some quality time together, don't you think?

Hanna Smith: Why thank you! And yes, it's time for everything to be revealed. What can I say, Seth is just a bit self-conscious hehe.

RiseOfTheLemming: Glad you enjoyed it! I wanted Paul to win the fight, but I knew I had to limit the damage done. And the forced split was something that I'd had on my mind for a while. Hope you continue to enjoy!

Nikki. Neurotic: Glad that you've enjoyed it! And we'll see what can be done about the she-wolf!

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><p>That was, without a doubt, the best night of sleep I had ever had. While I would have preferred to have been in my bed – or countless places that weren't Sam's couch – holding Seth against me all night was the most natural feeling in the world. I felt truly complete, knowing that my imprint cared about me and I wasn't a freak for falling for the boy. If it wasn't for his sister, I wouldn't really have any issues.<p>

I woke up before Seth, but remained as still as possible as I watched him. His head was rested on my chest as his blanket cocoon practically covered me. His soft, peaceful snoring had me in a trance as I stared at his relaxed face. He was mine, and there was no way that I'd let Leah interfere with us again.

After a while, I heard noise and began to smell something amazing coming from the kitchen. I still didn't want to wake up Seth, but my stomach began to growl angrily. I guess that my appetite had returned when I wasn't being kept from my other half. The rumble caused Seth to stir and he slowly lifted his eyes to meet mine.

"Morning pup" I said softly, a smile overtaking my face. He was about to say something when his stomach decided that it needed to be heard as well.

"Have you been eating?" I asked, worried that he might have been suffering even worse than I had. His simple headshake proved my fears and I shifted so that we were both sitting. "Looks like we need to remedy that then" I said, standing up and pulling him with me.

"Sam normally keeps some extra shorts in the bathroom. Go grab a pair, unless you'd prefer not to wear anything" I said, winking at him. I couldn't help but chuckle at the deep red that had taken over his face. God he was cute.

He went and threw on a pair of gym shorts, joining me as we walked into the kitchen. I know that it was his home, but it was still surprising to see Sam working in a kitchen. He actually seemed to know what he was doing though. He was carrying mountains of bacon, hash browns, eggs, and toast, each filling their own plate, over to the table.

"You two look like you could use some breakfast." He said, not willing to look me in the eye. He obviously felt like shit and for the most part I was fine letting that linger for a bit. Still, I couldn't really blame him, as I'd do anything that Seth asked me to, but I'm sure he felt like he was a bad Alpha for all of this.

We ate quietly until Sam finally worked up the courage to talk. "Listen guys…I know there's nothing I can say to excuse myself, but I really hope that, given some time, you'll not resent me for all of this. It's unforgivable to inflict pain on an imprint, and I managed to hurt two in one action. I understand if neither of you respect me, but I do hope you'll someday not hate me for this past week…" he trailed off.

"Listen Sam, I can't say that I'm happy with you, but I can't fully blame you. I know how you're pulled to please your imprint. Just know this: if you try anything to keep Seth and I apart, I will not hesitate to leave this pack. As long, of course, as Seth doesn't hate me for it" I said, looking over in time to catch his nod of approval.

"Thanks Paul. I'll take what little I can get right now. Would you be willing to resume your role as Beta then?" he asked hopefully. Now that was an interesting question.

I thought about it as I shoveled some eggs into my mouth and finally made my decision. "No. I think you should offer it to someone else. Maybe Jared, now that he's gotten acquainted to pack life, or Jake, since he's an Alpha as well." I stated firmly.

"But why? You're a great Beta." He questioned, surprised that I'd forsaken my rank.

"Honestly Sam, this week taught me some things. I can't swear my loyalty to put the pack first anymore. If it came to it, I'd abandon the pack if Seth wanted to leave, and that's not the mindset that the Beta should have. The others have the connection here, but my only tie is to Seth. That being said, I know that one of the others will be more suited for it now." I said, looking at Seth. I truly meant that I'd leave if he wanted to, no questions asked. I cared about the others, but it paled in comparison to my feelings towards him.

"I understand…" Sam muttered. "I do hope you'll stay with the pack though. We need you" he said.

"Yeah, I have no intent of leaving you guys until there's a reason to. For now, I'll be there, but in a background role." I responded. He nodded, accepting that he wasn't going to get anything more out of me. We finished breakfast quietly, but with a lot less tension than before.

The peace and quiet ended as we were clearing the table. "Sam, dear, I'm home!" was heard as Leah entered into the house. She had a smile plastered on her face that vanished when she saw Seth and I in the kitchen.

"What do you think you're doing here!" She yelled. "I thought that we gave you an order!" Yeah…this was going real well.

Surprisingly, it was Seth that decided to speak up to his sister. "Yeah, you did give him an order. And if he hadn't broken that order, I would've been killed last night" he said with determination. He wasn't backing down this time.

"But…but…he's no good for you to be around Seth! He wants to corrupt you, just like his brother did to Jake!" she argued, trying to force him into seeing things her way.

"No Leah…you're wrong. If anything, I'm corrupting him, as if I didn't want a relationship, he wouldn't have to be in one." He responded, despair filling his words has he thought about what he was saying. It was sort of true, as the imprinter is what his imprint needs.

"I'm not upset about it, Seth. It's not corruption, it's how things are supposed to be." I said, squeezing his shoulder.

"Are you telling me that you're gay…and with Paul!" Leah demanded.

"That's enough Leah." Sam directed at his own imprint. "The two are imprints, and there's nothing that you can do about it. You should be happy for them."

"Imprints? Is that what he told you? He just wants to get in your pants, Seth. He doesn't actually care about you." She yelled, slowly moving towards me with hate in her eyes. I wouldn't hesitate to defend Seth from her if I had to, even if it meant taking on Sam as well.

"Actually, I imprinted on him too" Seth muttered, his resolve slowly wearing down, but catching her off guard.

"What the hell, Leah? How can you even claim to know me well enough to try and say that I don't care about him?" I asked, stepping slightly in front of Seth.

"Leah, I know that you're my imprint, but you need to let this go. They're imprints, and by law we do nothing to hurt them. That includes emotionally, mentally, and physically. As your mate, and your Alpha, I'm telling you to drop this." Sam implored.

"Fine…for now. I'll see you at home, without _him_ being there" she said, surprised that Sam had actually stood up to her.

I pulled Seth out the door, knowing that he needed to get out of there.

"Well…that went about as well as I could have expected" he said, a trace of a grin on his face.

"Yeah, but are you going to be all right with her alone? You know that I'm willing to stay with you, or let you stay in our house if you need to" I said as we walked away from Sam's house.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I think I should go talk to mom though. Better she find out from me than from Leah…" he said, slightly unsure of himself.

"Do you wa – "

"No, Paul" he cut me off. "This is one that I'll need to handle on my own." He said.

"All right…" I said, not wanting to let him be vulnerable.

"Since the cat's out of the bag, I was wondering if you'd maybe want to go out for dinner tonight?" I asked hopefully. Not like there was anyone to hide it from at this point.

"Like, on a date?" he asked.

"Yeah, a date" I responded with a smirk.

"Sure, that sounds great!" he said enthusiastically, his smile widening.

"All right, so, pick you up at 6?" I suggested, receiving a nod in response.

We headed in different directions at that point, as much as I hated parting with him. He wanted to talk to his mom, and I needed some advice.

I immediately headed over to Jake's garage, having a hunch that he'd be there. Sure enough, he was there working on his Volkswagen Rabbit with Embry looking on from the side.

"Hey guys" I said, walking toward the car.

"What's going on Paul?" Em asked.

"Well…Leah found out about everything today." I smirked, beginning to retell the story from this morning.

"So…I kinda came here for advice…" I mentioned after the recount.

"What do you need?" Jake asked.

"Well, I asked Seth out on a date tonight, and I need to know what to do. I'm not exactly a romantic…" I trailed off.

Embry beamed, pulling me over to the couch that Jake had against the wall. He began telling me about all the things that I should do, and I smirked as I saw Jake listening in for hints.

"And you're sure that he'll like all of that?" I asked Embry, slightly skeptical. I kinda expected to talk to Jake about this, but he'd been no help at all.

"Of course I am. Seth and I are both submissives. We have similar thought processes" he said nonchalantly.

"You're what?" I asked, not understanding what he was going at.

"Oh, you actually still don't know about how this all works. In wolves, there are submissives and dominants. Seth and I are submissives, while you and Jake are our respective dominants. We look to you for protection, among other things" he explained, blushing.

"Is that why when I saw Jake with Seth I got so angry, but you didn't seem to be a threat?" I asked, piecing together some things from the past couple weeks.

"Exactly. Other dominants can be seen as threats when around your submissive. It's part of why I'm only around the pack when Jake is. He's come to accept you as a nonthreat due to us being brothers, but you know that Seth has always been close to Jake, so he seems like a potential competitor, even if you know he's imprinted." Embry finished. I was so clueless about these things, but at least I knew more than before.

I hung out there for much of the afternoon, helping Jake at times, while chatting with the two when he wanted to handle things himself. He seemed skeptical of my knowledge base at first, but once he realized that I knew what I was talking about, he relaxed. He seemed happy to have another set of car-minded eyes in the room though, even if he was confident in his decisions. After a while, I left, needing to prepare for the date.

I dressed up in a black button down and some khaki slacks. It was 5:40, so I headed over to Seth's in the Mustang. Sue let me in, pulling me into the living room.

"Now, I have no issue with the fact that you two are together, but if you hurt my boy, I will come after you. Do you understand me?" she asked, no hint of humor in her voice.

"Ye-yes ma'am." I stuttered, nervous of this side of Ms. Clearwater. She nodded curtly before Seth walked out of the room in a light blue polo and some tight jeans. He bounded towards me, immediately pulling me out the door, allowing me to escape the watchful eyes of his mother.

"Sorry about that." He chuckled. "Mom is a bit protective. So, where are we going?" he asked excitedly.

"It's a surprise." I smirked, pulling out of the driveway. We chatted as we drove, making our way to Port Angeles.

Following Embry's advice, we went to a small Italian restaurant. I knew that Seth loved the food, so it was the perfect place. We sat there in the dimly lit dining area, talking lightly about everything as we ate. "So, safe to assume you're comfortable dating me now?" I asked, resting my hand on his.

He smiled. "Yep. Now that my family knows, I don't care who else does. I just…I wish Leah wasn't so set in her ways…" he said sadly.

"Why is it like that, anyway? I mean, your mom was fine with it, so where did Leah get this opinion from?" I asked. I didn't really want to bring down the mood, but I felt like it was important to know.

"It goes back to her first crush in high school. She felt that she was in love with a guy, but after a few months, he finally broke up with her, explaining that it was all really just a lie. She later saw him with a guy and felt humiliated and angry, especially since...well, he took her virginity. Since then, she's always been harsh about it. She'd never admit it, but she still loved him after. Even when he got beat up for being who he was, I think it hurt her to see. I think that's part of why she doesn't like it for me to be different. She doesn't want me to get hurt, as this environment just isn't all that welcoming for everyone." He explained.

I nodded. I had naturally assumed it was some kind of religious obsession or something, but I sorta understood her mindset. She was proud, and someone had hurt her. Not even finding an imprint can restore the pain from life before. I also related with a concern about Seth. Hell, I'd kept the imprint secret from him, partially to protect him. But she was wrong. I wouldn't let anything happen to my pup.

After that, we turned our conversation back to lighter subjects. We talked about our backgrounds, learning a lot more about each other. As much as I hated to admit it, I didn't know all that much about him, other than the surface things we'd discussed over the months. I didn't have the benefit of growing up around him to make this easier.

I picked up the tab for dinner, despite Seth's pleas to let him cover his own meal. I was going to take care of him. As cliché as it was, I took him to a movie that I'd heard him talk about being excited to see. It was some comedy and I once again had my wallet out before Seth had a chance to argue. He did beat me to the concession stand though, loading up on popcorn, soda, and candy, despite our recent meal. He definitely had the shifter's appetite…

We sat in the dark theater, raising the arm rest so that we could lean on each other throughout. I basked in his warmth, paying absolutely no attention to the movie. Seth seemed to be enjoying the film, so I was happy with the choice. He snuggled up against me, melding perfectly against my body.

As we walked back to the car, Seth kept looking at me with a mischievous look. We got into the car and began the drive back, savoring each other's company. It was quiet before I finally broke the silence. "So, how was it? I'm not really used to this whole dating thing, so I hope you had a good time…" I said, glancing at him.

"It was my first date." He said innocently. "And you really did great. You made it really special for me." He said dreamily. "and now, I want to do something special for you" he finished, the glint back in his eye.

Before I could comprehend what he was saying, I felt him reach out and place his hand on my thigh. The fact that I was able to keep the car on the road as he moved his hand closer to my groin was pure luck.

"Seth…" I said with shaking breath as he reached my quickly hardening member. "you don't have to do anything that you don't want." I tried to say, but I'm pretty sure that it came out more as a moan as he gave me a squeeze.

"Just shut up, keep driving, and enjoy this" he said assertively, undoing the zipper and pulling me completely out from my slacks. He slowly began to stroke, using the precum that was quickly pouring out of my tip as lube. His touch was unlike anything else I'd ever felt. It was like his hand was sending out electrical jolts of pleasure that felt amazing to my entire body. Every time he'd pick up the pace, my foot would tense on the gas, speeding us up as well. I'm glad there weren't any police because I sure as hell didn't know how fast I was going.

I felt myself beginning to approach the edge, and began to raise my hips to meet his strokes. It wasn't long before I shot my load, moaning Seth's name and completely coating his hand with my seed, while getting a bit on my slacks. He smirked as he reached into his pocket with his other hand, pulling out a handful of napkins from the theater. He caught me looking at him as he finished cleaning up and retreated to his shy self. "I just wanted to give you something to remember too" he whispered, not meeting my eyes.

I pulled the car over to the side of the road and lifted his chin to force him to look at me. "Seth, being with you is what I will always remember. You don't have to do anything else, but that was amazing" I whispered before crashing my lips into his. Our tongues explored each other before a semi-truck's horn blared as it passed, completely startling us. Seth chuckled before leaning back into his seat, and I moved us back towards La Push.

We chatted all the way back until we got to his house. I walked him to his door, pausing to pull him into my arms when we got there. We locked eyes before I leaned down to meet his parted lips, carrying on where we'd left off before we'd been interrupted on the highway. I don't know how long we were there, but I couldn't think of a better place to be. Unfortunately I was so caught up in being with Seth that I didn't notice the door open until a rather loud "Ahem!" sounded, causing Seth and I to jump apart. "Looks like you boys had a nice night out" Ms. Clearwater said, not trying to hide her amusement at all.

"Um…yeah" I said, shaken by her emergence. "I'll see you tomorrow Seth?" I asked, looking back at his equally horrified face. He simply nodded and I gave him one last peck on the forehead before heading back to the car with one thought on my mind.

That was a date that I'd never forget.

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><p>AN: There we have it, a little bit of fluff, and Paul gets a bit of satisfaction. First attempt at anything remotely graphic, so I hope that it wasn't the worst thing you've ever read. As always, your reviews are appreciated, and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, even if it was a bit lighter than what I usually go with hehe. The song for this one was "Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls (feat. Taylor Swift). It's a happy romantic song, and since this one was almost entirely delving into Paul &amp; Seth's relationship, I felt it fit. Hope you enjoyed it!<p> 


	11. Chapter 11: What Sarah Said

AN: Well, after being slightly lemony last chapter, I may have decided to add a dash of it here too. Hope you all enjoy it! I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to Hank's Lady. She's been calling me soft, so I wanted to show that I could be a real fluff writer. Oh wait, was that the end goal? I guess you'll just have to see ;) As always, I appreciate your reviews and feedback.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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><p>Reviews:<p>

oh2byoung: Glad you liked it bud. Was interesting delving into some more intricate writing like that hehe. Hope this satisfies your cravings for more!

iJeedai: Had to at least give her some kind of excuse. I like Leah too much to just have her be the harpy that many see her as haha. Glad you enjoyed it, fluff and all, and hope that you like this one!

Hank's Lady: Good to hear you liked it! I wanted to give Leah a little bit of a reprieve, as I hate how often she's mistreated. I know how many people were angry with her to this point haha. Now it's time for the real fun to begin ;)

ant1gon3: Glad you enjoyed it. I'm trying to get things to a more personal level between the characters, so writing 'softer' scenes has been a little bit different. Hope you continue to enjoy!

rAbiDmutt03: Some memories were meant to last ;) Had to show that Seth cared about satisfying his other half too though. And me? Be cruel? I can only tell you that there's always a possibility for some harshness. It's just too fun to write!

o0OsasaO0o: Glad that you've enjoyed my mix of the two genres. I try and allow for both elements to have some existence, even if I do enjoy being angsty.

Phoenix xxxxx: I said I'd do it when I started the story, so I have to eventually deliver! hehe

Hanna Smith: I like to think that Paul is more than just a hothead (or a softy, as portrayed earlier on). And Seth...well, he's gotta take care of his imprint too ;)

GoinnGaga: Glad you enjoyed it! I'll definitely take you up on your offer if I ever feel like I don't like how some of my smut is flowing. Going to try to power through it though. It's kinda fun to write hehe.

RiseOfTheLemming: Glad that you liked it! It was about time Sam got a backbone. Who better to give Paul advice than another submissive wolf? And yeah...Seth got a little active there didn't he ;)

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><p>Things between Seth and I were great as the weeks passed after that first date. Sure, there were awkward periods, as neither of us were accustomed to dating, but I at least had Embry – the eternal romantic – on my side. I oftentimes ran my ideas by him and he'd provide his input. He seemed to be in a better mood as well, and I'm pretty sure that Jake had put into practice a lot of what Em mentioned to me. Eventually, even Leah backed off of us. I could tell that she wasn't completely comfortable with Seth and I as a couple, but she did her best to at least remain calm around me. She didn't even act as standoffish with Jake or Embry anymore. I think that she understood that I had the best intentions for her brother and that I'd never let anyone hurt him. It was one thing that we had in common and provided a foundation on which to at least build up toleration to each other. I showed a similar amount of respect by not flaunting it, as well as keeping my thoughts subdued when we were together in wolf form. No need to try and create hostility when she was trying to play nice.<p>

The date also proved to be the green light to allow our relationship to be physical. No, we hadn't made love yet, but we had advanced to showing our physical attraction on a normal basis. It started off as mutual handjobs, but it wasn't long before I wanted more. It was about two weeks after the car incident that I decided to show Seth what other fun we could have together…

***Flashback***

It had been a long patrol with Embry. I was the only other dominant that Jake – who'd reluctantly taken on the role of Beta – wanted patrolling with Embry, our shared blood ensuring that I wouldn't be pursuing him and that I'd always protect him. Even Quil wasn't normally allowed to be alone with my brother, despite the fact that they had always been best friends. Hell, that might have been part of the reason for it. Funny how the dominant mindset worked, but I understood where he was coming from. It was only now that I felt that I could trust Jake enough to allow Seth to patrol with him without wanting to be there myself. I had come to terms that Jake wouldn't go after Seth, but knew that he'd always do what he could to protect him. Seth had always looked up to Jake after all, so we'd ultimately come to a wordless agreement to watch each other's imprints when we weren't patrolling with them ourselves.

I finished up patrols and headed over to my pup's house. It was nearly 1am, and although I knew he'd be asleep, I really wanted to hold him. I hopped up through his window, bothered by the sounds of his whimpering. I immediately began to worry that he was having a nightmare before I listened more carefully. The sounds weren't out of fear, but instead…pleasure? He was moaning my name and his boxers weren't hiding the fact that he was turned on. My little Seth was having dreams about me? This could be fun.

I climbed on top of him and began rubbing him through the thin cloth covering his erection. I'd only been there for a few seconds when he jumped awake, gasping my name.

"What are you doing here?" he asked through his haze, the friction of my hand not helping him to clear his mind.

"Just came to see you and decided that you needed a little relief" I said with a smirk.

He blushed furiously and I pulled him into a deep kiss before I began trailing my tongue down his body. I nipped at his neck a few times, eliciting another moan before continuing down his chest, stopping at his dime-sized nubs and taking the time to roll each of them in my mouth for a moment. His gasps for breath told me that I was doing the right thing and I continued downward until I reached the waistband of his boxers. His eyes got big as I pulled them down quickly before wrapping my hand around his firm cock. I stroked him a few times, but I had more in mind than just another handjob.

I stuck out my tongue, licking the tip and smirking as I heard his breath hitch. I continued by swirling my tongue around the head, Seth unable to say anything other than a choked out "P-P-Paul"

I took his head into my mouth, savoring the taste of his skin. I'd never given a blowjob before, but I'd been on the receiving end enough times to know what generally felt good. His writhing as I slowly began to slide more of him into my mouth were enough proof for me to know that he was enjoying himself. I began to bob up and down, taking more of him each time. His hands were running through my short hair, encouraging me to continue.

It wasn't long before his breaths picked up and he stuttered out an exasperated "I'm gonna…" It didn't take a genius to know what he was trying to warn me of, but I'd already decided that I wanted to show him how good it could be to finish 'correctly.' I took him deeper than ever before as he tensed up, emptying himself into my mouth. I swallowed all of it, surprisingly not disgusted by the thought of doing so. The taste was amazing, but I'm pretty sure that it was only because everything about Seth was perfect to me. I slowly removed his softening member from my mouth and trailed my kisses back up his chest. When I got back up to his face, he pulled me into a deep kiss, allowing me to completely dominate him. I turned over onto my side, squeezing him tightly into my chest.

"What about you?" he muttered tiredly.

"Not important tonight. Get some sleep, pup" I whispered as he sighed into my chest before drifting into sleep.

***End of Flashback***

That had just been one of the nights that we spent together, even if things weren't always physical. It just felt right to have him in my arms. Unfortunately he had been patrolling last night, so I'd stayed in my own bed, wishing for his company. I woke up early, excited that I'd be seeing him shortly.

I was just headed over to Sam's for a pack meeting when mom called out to me. "Honey, were you able to go to the store and grab some milk?" she questioned.

"Sorry, mom. I've just been so busy with the pack that I never got to it. I can go after the meeting if you want." I responded.

"Don't worry about it. I'll just stop and pick some up when I'm in Forks. Gotta run a few errands anyway" she responded smiling.

"All right, I'll see you later!" I called, heading out the door.

I hopped into the car, wanting to keep the engine active. I didn't often have much of a need to drive around here and it's best not to let the engine sit quietly for too long. Not to mention, it's still fun to watch people stare at my car when I drive by. I ultimately got to Sam's a few minutes early and sat there joking with Embry and Jake. Once Seth arrived, I quickly made my way over to him. Even though we weren't big on public displays of affection, I still liked to be near him.

The meeting was pretty mundane. We still hadn't been able to do anything about the redhead. She was exhausting us all, but at least she was keeping the leeches on the other side of the border busy as well. Apparently they had been running an equivalent to our patrols, especially when the one that got visions saw her coming or when the mindreader felt her presence nearby. We talked about patrols, which would be a little heavier during the winter break since all of us would be available to help during the day. I'd been hoping for a bit of a rest during the holidays, but we needed to catch this leech. From listening to the Cullens, we'd learned that her name was Victoria, but to be honest, I didn't really care. They were all leeches and attaching a name to the redhead didn't make me hate her any less.

After the meeting we just hung out for a bit. Sam had started up the grill and the pack never turns down free food. Jake was teasing Seth with the last burger – quickly eliciting a growl from me – before Embry snatched it from him and stuffed it in his mouth. Jake's death glare was priceless, but if Seth couldn't have it, I was glad that Jake hadn't gotten it either. He's lucky that I didn't go after him for taunting my imprint. Afterwards we just lounged around, relaxing while we could before patrols started getting heavier.

My mood completely changed as I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I looked at the ID and didn't recognize it, but decided that there'd be no harm in answering it.

"Mr. Lahote?" the voice on the other end asked tentatively.

"Speaking." I responded curtly.

"Sir, there's been an incident. I need you to come to the hospital's intensive care unit as soon as possible. It's your mom…" he said quietly.

"I'll be there as quickly as I can" I said, immediately heading for my car.

"Paul, what's going on?" I heard Sam call out of the house as I got to the Mustang.

"Not sure, but I've got somewhere to be." I yelled back, immediately hopping in and tearing out of the driveway before I could be distracted again. This was a personal matter and even though I didn't know what was happening, I didn't think that the pack needed to get involved.

I sped all the way to the hospital, running all sorts of scenarios through my head. What could have happened? The uncertainty was killing me and pushed me to drive faster.

I got to the hospital in record time, quickly rushing to the ICU. Officer Swan, the chief of police, was seated in the waiting room. "What's going on?" I demanded.

"Your mom was involved in an incident. There was a robbery at the convenient store in Forks." He began. "The man was holding up the clerk when your mom walked in. It scared him and he immediately shot both the clerk and your mother…" he trailed off.

I was shocked. This was all my fault. If I'd just gone to the store when she asked, this never would have happened…

"How is she?" I choked out.

"They've rushed her into surgery to remove the bullet and do what they can, but we're not sure." He responded.

I sat there silently. The television and magazines would provide no distraction as I anxiously waited until a surgeon came out. After what seemed like days, a man in scrubs approached me. "Mr. Lahote?" he asked.

Another "How is she?" was all I could manage to get out.

"We removed the bullet and repaired as much of the damage as we could. She's in a bed, but is still in critical condition and is being constantly monitored. It could go either way, but if you'd like, you can go into the room with her."

I simply nodded and he led me to her room. She looked peaceful, but the tubes and breathing machine were completely wrong. She should never have been in this situation.

I sat beside her and gripped her hand, thinking back to all of the things that had happened growing up. I'd never appreciated them at the time, but I now understood all of the sacrifices she had made to try and protect me and make me happy, despite my frustration at our constant moves and feeling like an outsider throughout my life.

One memory that surfaced was our annual tradition on my birthday. She'd always take off the day, no matter what the case she was working on was or how busy her overall schedule had been. It was always a time where we'd spend the day together, doing whatever I wanted. At the time, I always thought it was just her trying to make up for all of the time where she was away, but looking back, I realize that she was also making sure that I had a special day. It's not like I had ever really made friends to spend the time with and although she never said it, she knew that I wouldn't want to be alone.

That memory brought a tear to my eye as I listened to the slow beeps of the heart monitor. Her pulse wasn't nearly what it should be, but that was only temporary, right? Surgeons were good at what they did. She had to pull through this…

I continued to think back, remembering how rebellious I had been growing up. Getting in fights, sleeping around, and not showing anyone respect. My mom had always tried to discipline me, but I'd never paid her any attention. I'd always thought that she didn't deserve an opinion on my actions. She was always working after all. My mindset had always been bad growing up. Being an outcast everywhere, not having a father, and building no relationships had left me with a cold exterior. If I had known what she was trying to protect me from, maybe I would have been better to her and everyone else.

I was startled from my trip down memory lane by the realization that I was no longer alone in the room. I looked over to see Seth, a worried look on his face as he watched me by my mother's bedside. He walked over and kneeled beside me, clasping my hand in his without a word. I didn't know how he'd known where to come, or how he'd even gotten back here, but I was glad to have him with me. We sat in silence as I looked at my mother, willing her to open her eyes.

"It's my fault…" I mumbled to Seth.

"You can't blame yourself." He said softly.

"If I'd been a better son, this wouldn't have happened. I should've just gone to the store, but no, I was putting my life in front of her requests, just like always…" I said, sobs beginning to flood out of me.

"Listen Paul, once you start blaming yourself for things that are out of your control, there's no coming back. This was out of your hands. She's going to be fine, just you watch…" he responded, rubbing his hand against my cheek. Kid always was an optimist.

I couldn't stop the tears from flowing, but Seth pulled me up against him, allowing me to cry. I thought about how eerily similar this was to when he'd first phased, except that now I was having the breakdown. Seth just held me, telling me that everything was going to be alright. I'd just take care of her after she was out of here and prove that I cared and appreciated all that she had sacrificed for me over the years. I wouldn't be a bad son again.

Seth only left my side to go grab some food and bring it back to me. I ate, not because I had an appetite, but because he pleaded with me. After finishing, I told him about what it was really like growing up, feeling like there was nobody else on my side. I'd always held a "me versus the world" type of attitude, and as much as I'd refused to admit it at the time, my mom was the only one who was there for me. It was the first time that I'd actually let out my true feelings, and I knew that Seth didn't judge me. He felt bad, mainly because he's the kind of kid that doesn't want anyone to suffer, but he didn't look at me any different in my time of weakness.

The tears had pretty much subsided as I continued to sit there. The night was creeping on, but there had been no change. Seth was still there and we sat in silence, listening to the machines that were keeping mom alive until she was strong enough to breathe on her own. Her blood pressure and pulse were still low, but at least she wasn't getting worse I kept telling myself.

That all ended around 2am. Seth had fallen asleep in the corner, but I just couldn't do it. That's when the occasional beep of the heart monitor changed into a single tone. It took a moment for that to sink in as I watched the line on the monitor flatten out, just as doctors and nurses rushed into the room, pushing me back into the corner. I watched as they attempted CPR before pulling out the defibrillator. Seth had rushed over to my side by this point, grasping my hand in support as I began to panic.

All I heard were the rushed voices and the occasional "CLEAR" as they tried to bring her back to life. There was a tension building in the air as we all waited to see if there'd be any sign of recovery. After several tries, the doctor just shook his head and walked over to me. "I'm sorry…" was all he said. Those simple words solidified what was beginning to work its way through my mind. The only family that I had ever had was gone. Tears began to stream freely and I couldn't even bother to care if I looked pathetic. I had no family remaining. All that was left were the memories of how bad I had been to her growing up. I slowly felt myself sinking into depression as they pulled the sheet over her body and cut off the machines. There would be no miraculous recovery. I'd never be able to tell her all that I needed to. She was gone and even with Seth right there beside me, I had never felt so alone.

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><p>AN: Oh, that's right, I was trying to prove that I'm not always kind! Hope you all enjoyed my return to angst. I know I did. It's probably my favorite part to write in a story. The song choice for this was "What Sarah Said" by Death Cab for Cutie. It's on the Plans album, which is one of my favorites, even years after first listening to it. The song is entirely about waiting for death, with one of the key lines (the words that Sarah said) being "Love is watching someone die." Safe to say that the chapter ended a lot darker than it started, but I hope you enjoy it! As I said before, I really do value all of your reviews and opinions. Until next time!<p> 


	12. Chapter 12: What A Shame

AN: I'm cruel. I thrive off of creating pain for my characters. Sadistic? Yeah, probably. I think most people expected her to pull through. Sorry, but I can't always allow for the miracle recovery! Hope you all enjoy this update. Sorry, it's been a busy few days, so it took a while to get another one written. Hope you enjoy it, and as always, I appreciate any feedback that you give!

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><p>Reviews:<p>

alphapup0909: Glad that you've enjoyed it! I like focusing on some of the other characters, and I don't particularly like Edward or Bella (so they're not heavily discussed in my stories). And I love angst hehe. Hope you continue to enjoy!

rAbiDmutt03: Cruelty is my thing (as I'm sure you've discovered). I think everyone thought I'd target the relationship, but I decided to bring angst in a different way. Hope the update doesn't disappoint!

Hank's Lady: Really good to hear that you enjoyed the chapter that was so tailored to you ;) Gotta love awkward work reading material! It's been fun being cruel to them. Hope you like this one!

TurnItUp03: No worries on the review. I'm just glad that you are willing to share your opinions when you can. And I'm glad that you didn't hate the chapter. I know my writing can be quite harsh, but I at least like to think that it's semi-decently done haha.

perfectlyODD: It is to me. I much prefer the harsh side of things. As for the vampire thing...I just don't like it. I understand how Carlisle views it, but I'm just not the biggest fan of the concept. Plus, it's not like the vampires & wolves have been close, and Carlisle can't just go turning everyone on death's bed!

ant1gon3: Love the pull of the imprint. And we have opposite views on the use of angst hehe. I think of it as better to build people up and then use the angst to tear them down ;) Hope you continue to enjoy!

o0OsasaO0o: Sadly there's not going to be some miraculous recovery. Dealing with loss is an unfortunate part of life, so Paul is going to have to find a way to try and pull through.

GoinnGaGa: Glad you liked how I used it. I hope that you find what I do afterwards to be fitting. Gotta write what you know I guess hehe.

tinker03: Heh...yeah, I kinda enjoy doing that.

oh2byoung: That might be the most amusing review ever. Sure, can't tell how you liked everything through it, but it was still amusing. Hope you'll eventually forgive me (and Sarah) for our combined cruelty.

iJeedai: Easy target? I mean, sure I could have gone after a wolf, but I think the fragile human is easier to target. Plus, the guilt factor + loneliness = painful. I'd be happy to accept that award though. I love being a bit cruel ;)

JoJo0506: Yeah, Paul's not exactly in a good place right now. Poor guy did just lose his mother after all. Glad you appreciated the reintroduction of another wave of angst! Hope you continue to enjoy it.

Phoenix xxxxx: I'm a very cruel person. But it's never a bad idea to show you care for those that you love.

Nikki Neurotic: Glad you enjoyed it! I like putting poor Paul in bad places. It's just...fun to watch the results hehe. Hope you like this one!

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><p>The next few days were a blur. I barely remember filling out any paperwork or Seth leading me out of the hospital. The only thing that prevented me from collapsing from the pain was my imprint. Even he couldn't make me feel anything more than numb, but that was still a nice reprieve from the depression that had sunk in.<p>

The tribal elders took care of all of the funeral arrangements. I wouldn't have known what to do, and they only came to me when there were questions that they couldn't answer. I had finally told them to just do what they thought was best.

The night before the burial, I found myself at the funeral home. I'd gone alone, wanting to see her one last time before they sealed the casket forever. I sat there in silence, looking at the peaceful face of my mother's lifeless body. I'd given up fighting tears at this point, allowing them to flow freely as I watched her.

"I'm sorry" I whispered. "I'm sorry for everything. I was never good to you. I know how all of your decisions were to protect me. The hardships that you faced raising me never made you resent me. You never directed blame at me, and all I did was disrespect you. I should have been better to you. If only I had actually listened to you, none of this would have happened. We may have never even ended up in this town if it wasn't for my anger and carrying this gene. At the very least, it's my fault that you were even at that store. I'm just…lost without you. You were all I ever had, and I don't know what to do without you. I love you…" I halfway sobbed, my emotions consuming me. I sat there for a while longer before I finally left the funeral home.

I didn't sleep that night. The funeral was well-attended, showing how much of an impact my mom had had on the community, both before she left and in the brief period since our return. Several people spoke about her growing up and what all she had done for the tribe. I listened, but shook my head when Sue quietly asked if I had anything I wanted to say. It'd taken everything I had to prevent myself from phasing several times a day since her death, and this wouldn't be the time to try and push it.

As they began lowering the body, I couldn't take it anymore. I got up and walked away, making it to my car before anyone could get to me. I left the gravesite, needing to get as far away from those pitying eyes as I could. I didn't want to be surrounded by people apologizing for my loss. It's not like it did any good to hear how great she was and all of the normal things you hear. I knew what I had lost and it was my damned fault that she was gone.

I had only one stop to make before going home. I pulled into the liquor store and went inside, picking up handles of several hard liquors before heading to the register. The young man looked at me incredulously.

"ID?" He asked wearily. I simply glared at him. "You can't expect me to sell this to you without an ID" he said.

A hundred dollar bill and the look on my face silenced him and he totaled my order. I bundled the several half gallons into my arms and left the store before driving quickly back home.

I walked into the dark house, deadbolting the door behind me. I didn't want to see anyone right now. I didn't want their judgment or worse...their pity. Well, that's only partially true. I always wanted to see Seth, but I knew that it wasn't a good idea for him to be near me right now. He didn't deserve to see my suffering and I wasn't going to make him deal with it.

I went up to my room, carrying two of the half-gallon bottles. As soon as I was on my bed, I opened up the first of the bottles, relishing in the burn as its contents began to flow down my throat. Vodka wasn't my favorite, but I knew that it would accomplish my goal. I set the jug down once several inches were gone and began to think. I'd been depressed for days, but that was beginning to be compounded with something else: anger.

I was angry at myself for having been such as an ass growing up. I was angry at my father for giving me this stupid gene, forcing me to be back here on this reservation. I was angry at the robber for causing all of this shit. I was angry at the world. I don't know what I had done in a previous life to piss it off, but karma had always had it out for me. Not like I'd ever known the easy life.

As I felt my frustration rise, I decided to go to my usual release. Picking up the guitar, I began to simply strum as I continued to remember. I thought back to the days of getting my ass handed to me. That was when I first became hardened to everyone. There'd been a time when I'd hoped that things at the new place would be better than the last. I was a stupid kid, and the only way to fix things was to do it yourself. That's why I'd picked up fighting so quickly. Mom didn't like it, but at least it allowed me to protect myself.

Tears welled up again as I thought of her. She'd always hated my fighting. It was the one thing that she got onto me about every time. She'd never seen me as the victim. I'd hid that from her. It's only once the other kids started losing that she'd found out. I was smug though. I'd gotten away from being the tormented, no matter what everyone else said. I felt my anger rising in my stomach at the thoughts of all of the conflicts that I'd suffered through. My emotions weren't in check and this time the guitar paid the price. In a sudden burst of rage, I shattered the neck with an uncontrollably strong squeeze. Damnit, I really liked that guitar…

I quickly reached for the bottle again, gulping the clear liquid that was beginning to have its way on my mind. Guess that was going to serve as my release for now. As the bottle continued to drain, I thought back to our move here.

I hadn't really cared about moving to this reservation. Just another place with the same issues. That had changed when I met Seth. I didn't understand it at the time, but he was the only person that I'd ever cared for like this. It hadn't started romantic, but I now knew that there was nobody else. This had been a great place. I had the pack, Seth, and had grown closer to mom. Mom…

As the contents of the bottle became negligible, I felt its unsettling effects on my stomach. I quickly rolled off the bed, stumbling to the bathroom before heaving what little I had eaten recently into the porcelain bowl. As I sat there, the room continued to spin and it wasn't long before I allowed the darkness to overtake me, not caring that I was sprawled out in the bathroom.

The next few days fell into the same routine. I didn't go outside or even bother looking out the windows. There was no food in the house, but I didn't really care much about eating. All I could think about is how alone I felt without my mother. More and more memories flooded my mind. All of the new starts at schools, the guilty look she always had as we were about to leave to the newest reservation, and how she'd always offered me whatever I wanted. I'd just been too selfish to recognize that she wasn't just doing this for herself.

Liquor became my new best friend. I was steadily working my way through the collection that I'd bought, inevitably finding myself in the bathroom or by a trashcan. I heard knocks on the door, but I couldn't stand the thought of being seen like this. Everyone took the hint, never having the nerve to try and push me further. I didn't even have the nerve to seek out my imprint, who would understand the pain of losing someone they loved. Despite feeling the ache of not having Seth around, I knew he didn't deserve to have to put up with my weakness.

I couldn't be sure how many days it was before my routine was finally broken. All that I know was that it wasn't ended due to my choice. It had been another day of heavy drinking, and as it left my system again, I noticed that its contents were laced with blood. My body didn't seem to like the constant purges. Go figure.

It wasn't long before I was out again, but when I woke up, I realized that I was no longer in the bathroom. I can feel a cold cloth being tenderly rubbed across my forehead and it hits me that someone has finally broken the threshold into the house. I open my eyes wearily, my mind not fluid enough to figure out who else in the room. I'm pretty sure that my mind is playing tricks on me when the visitor comes into focus.

It's Leah. The person who has caused me more problems than anyone else in the pack is sitting in my room. My mind is going crazy trying to piece it all together when she decides to speak up.

"Not who you expected to see, was it?" she asked softly. The usual malice in her voice was gone and she actually sounded compassionate. I gently shook my head, still reeling from the fact that my world was spinning, literally and figuratively.

"I'd be lying if I said I came here completely because of you. We both know that we've never been on the best terms. But I needed to find out what the hell was going on in here. Your actions don't just impact you, you know?" she asked evenly. What was she talking about? The pack was surely large enough to handle patrols for a week without me.

Then it hit me. "Seth?" I asked tentatively, afraid to know if that's what she meant.

"Exactly. At first he was just moping about, but when he started getting sick, I knew that it had to do with you. Or you two not being around each other. Or something. Imprints have an emotional bond that goes beyond even what pack mates feel when they see each other's minds. Seth can truly feel your emotions as if they were his own." She explained.

That hurt. I had been trying to keep him from knowing how bad I was feeling, but I guess I'd failed to protect him. "I just didn't want him to see…" I whispered.

"Yeah, I know. You're a dominant. You feel like you're supposed to be there to keep him calm and protect him from things, not the other way around. It's how Sam felt whenever my dad died. But just because Seth and I are submissives, doesn't mean that we aren't meant to be there for you as well. It's not a one-sided process. So, just as much as you want to be there for him, Seth wants to be able to help you through this. You just need to let him and quit shutting people out of your life." Everything she said made sense and I simply nodded in response.

"Thanks Paul. We need to get you well again. You're important to Seth, so it's about time that I saw that you're not the enemy here." She said, giving me a pat on the arm.

Under her willpower, I got better over the next couple of days. She stashed away what little alcohol I had left and went and got groceries, forcing me to start eating again. She'd also provide updates on how Seth was doing and the fact that he was recovering was helping me stay focused. She allowed me to mourn, but refused to let me be self-destructive anymore.

After a few days, she finally coaxed me to leave the house. She led me down to the beach, allowing me to think while getting some fresh air. It was a cloudy day, but it was still a nice change of pace. Then I caught a scent on the wind. I looked up and saw him gazing at the water and knew that it was time for me to go and talk to my imprint. I turned to glance back at Leah, only to find that she had already headed the opposite direction. I couldn't help but chuckle at how different things had become in such a short time. I guess she really did care more about Seth than anything else.

I walked over to him and sat down in the sand. He hesitated for a moment before joining me. I didn't say anything yet, but pulled him up against me, savoring his warmth. He nuzzled into my chest and we released a heavy sigh at the same time.

"I'm sorry I pushed you away" I whispered.

"Let's just forget about it" he said, melting into me. "Just let me be there for you."

And with that, I knew that we'd be alright. We sat there, watching the ocean and basking in each other's presence. We lost track of time in the comfortable silence and I was surprised when the sun began to set over the water.

"Guess we should head out before it gets dark. Do you have patrols tonight?" I asked.

"No…Leah took them for me today." He said with a laugh.

I smiled at the thought. I really was starting to like this new relationship with Leah.

"Want to come home with me? I'd love to have you over tonight." I asked, knowing that he probably felt the same need to be near me that I did for him.

His smile as we stood up was answer enough. We walked back up the beach, my arm slung over his shoulders. When we got in, I made a tower of sandwiches and Seth and I devoured them. We held each other all night and I slept peacefully with Seth pressed up against my chest. The knowledge that my mom was gone still hurt, but I felt like the worst was over. With Seth, I could get through anything.

It was a few days before I rejoined the pack. Winter break had started, and the school had given me a leave until after the holidays. I startled everyone by walking into the pack meeting with Seth by my side. Embry ran over and pulled me into a hug. "It's good to see you, too" I joked.

"Glad to see you moving about Paul." Sam said, hesitating before continuing on. "It couldn't have come at a better time."

"What's going on?" I asked, noting the tone of his voice.

"I just got a call from one of the Cullens. The Seattle deaths that have been on the news recently are related, just like we feared. We're not sure when, but there's an army coming." He explained. "We've agreed to help the leeches, so next week we'll be working with them to figure out a plan to defend the land." He concluded.

I nodded, but couldn't help to be worried. Why did things always have to be so complicated?

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><p>There, that one was a little bit lighter. At least in the middle. The song title for this chapter was Shinedown's "What A Shame." It talks about the pain that life can bring, which Paul knows all too well by now. Hope you're at least not mad at me this time Matt hehe. Once again, I appreciate any reviews that you all decide to leave!<p> 


	13. Chapter 13: Save Tonight

AN: Well everyone, the last two chapters were a bit dark. Were they too dark? The severe decrease in reviews kinda worries me. Maybe it was too cruel to kill off his mom...eh well, I liked the idea. I'll give everyone a head's up, this is going to be a lighter chapter. It also plays into the Rated M for Mature aspect of the story, so if you're too young to read such things, you should skip a decent bit of this one ;o) Hope you all enjoy and I'd love to hear your opinions, positive or otherwise.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

rAbiDmutt03: Glad you appreciate my angst. I try to show emotion behind the characters, whether it works or not. And we can't have a complete jump to happiness. There always needs to be some kind of complication hehe. Hope you enjoy!

SlytherinValkire: I'm glad that you've enjoyed this piece. I know, I really am cruel to him. I rather love his character, but I can't help but to be evil. It's just in my nature. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

iJeedai: I really appreciate the review. The fact that the emotion behind everything at least worked to some degree gives me a little faith in my work haha. And I'm trying to allow Leah to redeem herself. I like her too much to let her be hated by all of you. Also, when do the Cullens not ruin things for everyone? I do agree though, it might be time to give Paul and Seth a little bit of time together hehe. And I accept my award with no regrets. Just be sure to let everyone know that I'm the cruelest of the bunch! Hope you enjoy!

Phoenix xxxxx: I hope you found it to be somewhat redeeming. Been trying to craft her as less of an evil person and more into the hurt past and protective girl. And no more angst? Where's the fun in that? We'll see though, I may have some twists, but I haven't got anything devious thought up yet. Or do I? ;o)

Hank's Lady: Glad you found my angst-period to be satisfying. I found the drink to be an appropriate escape for the poor wolf. And occasionally I can be nice. Otherwise, I'd just change my category to tragedy ;o)

ant1gon3: Yeah, the poor guy has to balance out everyday problems with the supernatural. Glad you've liked it and I appreciate your reviews!

RiseOfTheLemming: Yeah, that was cruel, wasn't it? Not like he's had a rough life already or anything. Glad you liked Leah's moves towards redemption though. I like her too much to make her a complete villain.

Nikki Neurotic: Yeah, it seems like exactly what Paul needs! Bella just has to stir up trouble...

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><p>So much for easing back into things. Even if this provided a distraction to how I was feeling, I wasn't selfish enough to be happy about the change. We had an unfortunate job to do and there was a chance that we might not make it through.<p>

We began training that evening. Apparently one of the leeches – I think they called him Jasper – had experience dealing with fighting newborns. I had taken down a few of them myself, so I didn't really see the point in all of this instruction. Still, Sam had said that we were coming out here to meet with them, so here we were.

We stood in our wolf forms, now ten wolves deep. In my down time, two new wolves had joined the pack. They really were just kids, not even having made it to high school yet. They were named Collin and Brady and were smaller than most of us, but they didn't hesitate to take on their responsibilities. I really felt bad for the pups. They were thrust into this without really getting to live out any semblance of a normal life.

I watched on as Jasper began to talk about what was so different about newborns. He explained their strengths, and how they could take down an insanely large human army. As if we were anywhere near as weak as humans…Still, his advice did hold true to what we'd discovered over our time as a pack. It was always important to be alert to your surroundings and to never let one of the leeches get a lock on you. Even as wolves, we still could have our bones broken by the strong creatures.

After listening to his talking, we watched as the vampire began to spar with some of his "family." He talked throughout, quickly taking down the giant of the group. After he was done fighting with each of the other Cullens and giving pointers about how the newborns would fight, we finally called it a night, agreeing to meet back the following evening. I was relieved, having been tired of being around the leeches for so long. Seth and I returned to my house, simply holding each other as we slept, both of us thinking about what the near future was to bring.

From then on, we joined in on the sparring, fighting with the Cullens over the next few days. It was after the fourth night that we got the phone call from Sam.

"3 days from tomorrow morning" he said. "The little one got a vision that the decision has been made. We'll talk strategy tomorrow."

I confirmed and looked down at my sleeping imprint. He and the pups just weren't cut out for this yet. I couldn't sleep as I tried to find a way to keep Seth out of this mess. I guess I'd just have to talk to Sam about it.

We met at the treaty line the next morning to talk about strategy with Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper. Sam, Jake, and I went on behalf of the wolfpack. We could relay anything later, and we still needed to do patrols. After a while, we had a pretty decent strategy laid out. We'd lure the vampires to this location using Bella's scent. It was her that the redhead wanted after all. Then we'd have a wolf take her up a nearby mountain to camouflage her scent. Edward would stay with her, and we would have a wolf presence as well. I quickly asked Sam to allow for it to be Seth on account that he was still young and Sam agreed. We also debated on what to do with the pups. They'd been around for less than two weeks. There's no way that they could take on the newborn army. We agreed to station them on the mountain as well. It was at least separate from the main battle, but if any strays made it their way, they'd be able to fight with Seth and Edward. All I knew was that my pup wouldn't be on the front line.

With the plan laid out, we agreed to meet back on the evening before the battle. Otherwise, we'd just talk on the phone. That left us 2 days to collect ourselves before the battle and we all needed to get some rest, while the Cullens needed to feed. We joined the pack at Sam's house, relaying the information to them. The two younger members felt grateful about being able to take on a reserve role, but Seth felt like he was being looked down on. He shook his head and walked out of the room when he found out his station.

I followed him out quickly, catching up to him before he reached the forest.

"You all will never think of me as anything more than just a kid" he fumed. It broke my heart to see him feel so left out.

"Listen Seth, it's not because you're a kid. We need you to help protect Bella and look after the pups. And…I need to know that you're safe. I don't want you in the heat of the main battle…" I said softly, rubbing my hand across his cheek.

"I love you too much to want you in that much danger…" I whispered as I lifted his chin to make him look up at me.

"You don't think I'm weak?" he asked, poorly masking the hurt in his tone.

"Never. I just can't stand the thought of you getting hurt" I said with a sad smile.

"I love you too Paul" he murmured, pulling me into a slow, passionate kiss.

We went back to the house after that. It had been agreed that we'd have a cookout the next night as a pack, but that tonight we'd be with the ones we loved. We all knew that this could be our last couple of days together, even if none of us admitted it.

Seth invited me over to his house. Sue, Sam, Leah, and he were going to have a family meal and Seth wanted me to be by his side. I couldn't deny him, so I joined his family for the day. It helped me remember that even though I no longer had my mother around, there were still people I cared about on the reservation. The dinner was relatively somber and I spent the night, sleeping with Seth pulled up against me.

The next day we went cliff-diving. Everyone needed to have a little fun to take our minds off what was on the horizon. It was nice just seeing everyone together and I couldn't help but worry that we'd never be like this again. The pups had both tried to shove Leah over the edge before Sam grabbed them up and tossed them over. Their shouts of anger and surprise were hilarious. We launched ourselves over the cliff all afternoon before finally going back to Sam's for the cookout. We tried to keep the attitude light, but it wasn't very easy. The food was delicious, but the tension in the air was palpable. After several hours, I finally headed home, Seth quick on my heel. I was looking forward to sleeping with him in my arms, at least getting to protect him for one more night.

Seth, however, had other plans. As soon as we got in the door, he pulled me into a kiss. It wasn't one of his loving, tender kisses that I'd grown so fond of. Instead it was needy, demanding, and lustful. I felt my pants grow tight as he pulled himself against me, deepening the kiss.

"I need you Paul" he gasped out as we pulled away from each other for air.

"You'll always have me Seth" I said in a low tone, nipping at his ear as I ran my hands down his bare torso, eliciting a moan.

"No, Paul. I need to feel you. Tonight" He groaned as I continued to toy with him. That brought me back to earth however.

"Are you sure, Seth? I don't want you to rush into anything just because of our circumstances." I said worriedly. I wanted nothing more than to claim Seth as mine, but it was more important that he wasn't being rash in his decision making.

He answered me by placing his hand firmly on the denim outside of my cock, rubbing it as he used his other hand to pull me down into a kiss. Suddenly he pulled away and led the way to my bedroom.

Seth lay down on the center of my bed. As I looked over his body, I couldn't help but lick my lips. His beautiful, perfect skin with a tint of red showed his excitement. His tight muscles looked amazing. He was everything that I could ever want. Our eyes met and I could see a desire unlike any other in them. He needed this just as much as I did. In an instant, I was hovering over him and plunging my tongue deep into his mouth. It was fiery and erratic, uncontrolled lust steering both of us. I ran my hands down his body, finally reaching the waistband of his cutoffs. It took me a moment, but then they were off, leaving Seth lying naked below me.

"You went commando too?" I chuckled as he undid the button of my jeans and began to slide them off of me, finally allowing our entire bodies to press against each other. Both of us were rock hard and I reached between us, grabbing our cocks together and beginning to stroke. He started to groan my name and I trailed down his body before taking him into my mouth.

I slowly bobbed up and down on him before he roughly grabbed my hair. "I need more" he whimpered. I nodded, reaching over into the nightstand to grab the lube that I kept there. I prepared a finger and began to coat his entrance while I continued to stroke him with my other hand. After getting it ready, I slowly inserted a finger. He tensed up at the intrusion until I put my mouth back on his cock. He slowly began to relax and I worked the finger in and out before adding a second. Although he tensed again at the beginning, he quickly became accustomed to the new presence. That is until I began to scissor the fingers to spread him out, causing him to grip the sheets and moan my name throatily.

"Please, Paul. I want you inside me!" he gasped out.

That was enough for me as I reached over to the nightstand again for a condom. He shook his head, however. "I want to feel you" he commanded. If that's what he wanted, I wasn't going to argue. I'd always been safe in the past and I knew that he hadn't been with anyone else.

I squeezed out some more lube and prepared myself as I hovered over him. I wanted to be able to see his face so that I could know if I needed to stop. I positioned my head at his entrance and slowly slid in, pausing as I saw his face clench.

"If you want to stop, we – " I started.

"Just go slow." He whispered.

It took everything I had not to just ram into him. With all the girls I'd been with, I didn't really care about how they felt. It was always just a quick hookup for me. But with Seth, it was completely different. My wolf wanted to stake its claim, but I knew that he needed time to adjust.

Slowly but surely, I slid inch after inch into him. He'd grab onto my hip occasionally to make me pause, but after several minutes, I felt myself bottom out inside of him. I held there, slowly grinding my hips against his ass to help him try to adjust. After a moment he looked up and whimpered the words that I'd been waiting to hear: "Fuck me, Paul"

With that, I began to pull out. I started in short strokes, only going halfway. As he moaned my name, I began to slide almost all the way out before plowing back in, my wolf beginning to rise to the surface. Seth was writhing beneath me, his cock leaking precum all over his stomach. "Yes, that spot right there!" he yelped as I began to brush against the bundle of nerves inside of him. He reached down to pleasure himself, but my wolf was having none of it. I grabbed his hands and pinned them above his head, forcing him to moan.

"Who's the only one to make you feel like this?" My wolf growled out.

"You, Paul. Only you can do this to me. Please Paul! Make me cum!" He practically screamed out as my pounding began to pick up. My wolf growled in approval.

I reached my other hand between us, taking his leaking cock into it. I matched my strokes to my thrusts, causing Seth to pant my name between breaths as I abused his prostate. After a few short moments I could feel his balls tightening before he exploded, coating both of our stomachs.

His orgasm caused his inner walls to contract sharply around me, sending me over the edge. I plunged into him one last time before releasing my seed deep inside of his depths. As I finished, I collapsed on top of him, not having the energy to remove myself from him. He pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss as we basked in the afterglow of our intimacy. After a few minutes, I finally slid out of him before rolling off to the side.

We were both sweaty messes so I picked him up and carried him into the bathroom. I turned the water on before helping him under the stream. His body was limp against me as I washed him, soft moans coming from him as I trailed my hands across his body. After we were both clean, I carried him back to the guest room, not wanting to sleep on the sticky sheets in my room. I pulled him flush against me as we held each other chest to chest.

"Are you alright?" I asked him, hoping that I hadn't been too rough.

"I'm perfect" he said dreamily as he nuzzled into my chest.

"I love you, Seth" I whispered, hugging him even tighter against me.

"I love you too, Paul" he responded softly, filling my heart with joy. Those words were always enough to make me forget that there were problems in the world. I was perfectly happy with things, holding my beautiful pup against me. He was _mine_, and nobody was going to take him away from me.

The next morning, I woke with Seth cradled against me. We shared a slow, passionate kiss before finally getting up to go over to Sam's. Today was the day to iron out all of the details before the newborn army arrived. We made our way to the field, each of us filled with anxiety. After meeting with the Cullens and running through last minute plans, the pups and Seth took off with the Swan girl and headed towards the mountains, each running a different route as to not make an obvious path. Seeing Seth go was one of the hardest things yet, but I knew that he was safer away from me. While everyone else was human, we just sat thinking about each other through the link between our wolves. It was intimate, seeing so clearly into each other's minds and I prayed that this wouldn't be the last time we got the opportunity to do it. I finally phased out to eat some of the dinner that the motherly vampire had made for us.

Sleep evaded most of us that night. I stayed up talking to Embry and Jake. I'd have rather been with Seth, but he was in human form, helping to keep the girl warm. The pups were both phased, however, and we kept at least one wolf in contact with them all night. The darkness began to lift as the sun broke through the clouds. We knew it wouldn't be long. We phased, preparing ourselves for the onslaught that we were going to face.

The war was here and it was going to take everything we had to survive.

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><p>Some of you may have expected the battle to be in this chapter, but I felt like inserting this one in first. Hope you enjoyed my first attempt at a full-blown lemon. The song for this chapter is "Save Tonight" by Eagle-Eye Cherry. The song talks about living out tonight (or in general, to seize the day), despite what tomorrow may hold. Kinda seemed fitting with the imminent danger on the horizon. Hope you all enjoyed, and I appreciate any reviews that you decide to leave!<p> 


	14. Chapter 14: War Song

AN: Well, the last scene was my first attempt at a lemon. I hope it wasn't too bad, but I wanted to at least appease those of you that wanted to see one. If nothing else, it was something I needed to try. This chapter is going to start with the battle. I'll go ahead and say that it's not going to be the same as the original, and I can only hope that you accept what I do with everything. Interested to hear your reviews on things!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

perfectlyODD: This battle won't be quite like what the books showed. Relationships will be slightly different, but I think that there's some of what you asked for. Hope you find it satisfying!

tita cullen: Glad you found and enjoyed it! Hope you continue to like it!

tinker03, Abysslullaby: Glad that you enjoyed it!

oh2byoung: Glad you liked it bud. Just don't get too angry if I don't write too many happy chapters together ;o)

Ratts: Glad that you've enjoyed the story! The battle is finally here, and you'll find it to be quite a bit different from the original (though some things still hold true). And a lot of people had asked for some dominance from Paul hehe. Hope you like it!

Hank's Lady: Great to hear that you liked it :o) As for this one, you'll have to see if I decide to be as cruel as I was thinking or not. I'll let you guess :P

TurnItUp03: I understand real world restraints haha. Glad that you enjoyed it, and well...my mind doesn't work well in keeping with too much happiness for too long. Hope you don't hate this chapter!

rAbiDmutt03: Appreciate it! Glad you've enjoyed it and hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint!

ant1gon3: I'm glad that someone enjoys my twisted love for darker ideas and that my first lemon wasn't too terrible. Thanks for the review!

Phoenix xxxxx: Good to hear that you didn't hate my first full attempt at a lemon. We'll see about the future, but not in this chapter haha.

iJeedai: Yes, I'll be changing a lot of things about the battle. Curious how everyone feels about it...Glad you liked the last one!

Nikki Neurotic: Yep, the battle is coming. It should look a bit different from the original haha

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><p>"They're here" I heard Sam call out over the pack link. Not that we actually needed it. The overwhelming stench of an army of vampires required no announcement.<p>

We waited as they charged, heading in the direction of the Cullens. They were unorganized, bloodthirsty, and completely confused by the lack of humans in plain sight. They'd been expecting to find at least the small human girl that's scent had lured them here.

As soon as Jasper threw the first punch, we launched ourselves from the woods, completely blindsiding the newborns. Victoria apparently had failed to tell her minions that there were such things as giant wolves that could actually hurt them. Guess we could be grateful that she'd kept even her own kind in the dark about her full plans.

I ripped into the marble skin of the first leech that I came to, a large male that had been pretty well built as a human. He never got his head around to looking at me as I snapped it off in one fluid motion. From there it was on. All around me my packmates were tearing the vampires to shreds while the Cullens lit them up when they weren't fighting as well. We weren't chancing that any of these creatures come back to "life" after this battle.

I quickly threw myself into the heat of the battle. I could feel Seth in my mind as he worried about everything that was going on. I was glad that he wasn't in this chaos. I tore left and right, fighting with the Cullens and my pack on both sides. Suddenly, one of the newborns latched around my back, driving me to the ground before I could shake it off. I could hear Seth panicking as I tried to fight it, but then I felt the creature fall limply to the ground. I looked up to see Emmett dropping my attacker's pieces before nodding and continuing to go on the offensive. I scampered up to join him, beginning to carve a hole right through the heart of the massive group of bloodsuckers.

As the body count rose, something began to seem off. We hadn't seen the redhead yet or the mate that the pixie had apparently seen working with the newborns. When was she going to make an appearance?

Without any organization, we were tearing through the newborns, but we were beginning to take on more hits. We had been designed for tracking and hunting these creatures, but an all-out war? It was exhausting, but we had to keep pushing through.

Another wave was beginning to descend on us as we tried to regroup when the girl with the visions froze up in the middle of the field. If it hadn't been for Jasper, she'd have been taken down by an approaching newborn. Not exactly the most controllable power it would seem.

"She's figured it out!" she screamed. "Victoria is sending most of her troops that are left here to keep us occupied, but she's headed towards the mountain with a decent group of them. I can't see what's going to happen up there, but she has decided to head up!" she yelled to us.

She was headed towards Seth. The exact thing that I didn't want to see was my pup having to fight off this army. And with Victoria, her mate, and a contingent of newborns? There was no way that Seth and the pups could handle it, even with Edward.

I immediately tore towards the mountains, running at full speed. I knew the fastest path and should be able to get there soon, especially as the redhead had only now decided to go that direction. "I'm coming Seth!" I called out.

"Paul, what are you doing!" I heard Sam yell.

"I'm going up there. There's no way that I'm letting Seth and the pups take this on by themselves" I yelled back, pushing myself faster.

"You can't break the line, Paul. You're needed here. I ord –" I cut him off before he could finish the sentence. Even if I could break the order after, it'd still cost me time that I didn't have.

"I will **not** listen to you try to keep me from my imprint again" I growled loudly at Sam. I felt myself tapping into my wolf's power more than ever before, using all of his energy to blatantly defy my Alpha. And that's when it happened. All of the chatter, the emotions, and the connection to all of my pack mates…it disappeared. There was only one person I was connected to.

"They're coming, Paul!" I heard Seth call out. I could see him backing up with Edward beside him. The pups were just behind him, standing between the approaching leeches and Bella.

I pushed myself past my limit, but broke to the top of the mountain just as what looked to be about 30 vampires began to push towards our stranded group.

Smashing into the middle of the army, I called out to Seth.

"Tell the pups to work together. Don't take on any alone. Defend the girl, but don't let them get the upper hand on you!" I exclaimed, thrashing as I shook one of them off me. Seth relayed my message and we began to battle back. Edward and Seth worked together to cut through them while the two younger wolves doubled up on any that got past them.

Suddenly I felt it as Seth got hurled backwards,into a large rock. I couldn't see through his eyes any longer. After a moment I could feel his dazed conscious resurfacing, but he was struggling to get back up. I looked for the source of the attack to find a mammoth of a newborn. I began to take it head on, but I wasn't as fast as I had been. I was feeling a sting from my back leg, just noticing that it had been gashed open pretty badly at some point. Finally after several back and forths, I took his head off, but he had served his role as a distraction and to force me to exert a lot of energy. I suddenly felt myself being locked onto and hurled into another rock. As I tried to recover, several quick kicks to the stomach had me reeling. I felt myself losing it as he snapped my front leg. This wasn't good.

I was drained of all of my energy and couldn't fight back anymore. Between the first battlefield, breaking from the pack, pushing myself to get here, and fighting this group, my tank was empty. My body phased back without my consent, leaving me defenseless. I finally got a good look at my attacker. It was Victoria's mate, a much more controlled vampire. I was picked up by the smirking boy who pinned me to the rock by my throat. I saw one of the pups fly into the other with a yelp as the redhead took them and Edward on. She was impressive and even Edward's mind reading wasn't giving him an advantage.

He looked me over curiously, confident that Victoria could handle herself well. "So this is what the mutts look like without their fur. Pretty impressive fighters in that form, but aren't you supposed to heal?" he pondered, dragging his other hand painfully across my scars. I could only hiss in discomfort as he laughed at my inability to retaliate. "Pity, you beasts are weak when you're human. This is just too easy…" He said, beginning to close his fist around my neck.

Suddenly I saw a flash of sandy fur blaze by and the leech in front of my crumpled to the ground, his head cleanly removed. I was gasping for breath and could feel myself beginning to lose consciousness (from the combined loss of oxygen and blood) as I saw Seth standing over me.

"RILEY!" the redhead screamed out, distracted by her mate's destruction. That finally allowed Edward to latch onto her, sinking his teeth in before removing her head.

I was getting dizzy and knew that I didn't have the energy to keep awake. "Edward! We have to get him out of here!" Seth screamed. Edward nodded and I felt Seth's warm arms wrapping around me. In my flickering vision I saw Edward pick up Bella. "Let's get to my place. Also Seth…don't phase" were Edwards simple orders. After that, I faded into the darkness.

I opened my eyes to a dimly lit room. The moon was shining eerily through a wall of glass. Going by the strong scent of the place, I had to assume that this was the Cullens' house. I tried to stand up, but I was still weak. I looked over and saw my arm was strapped to something, keeping it straight. It still hurt like hell. My heavily bandaged leg wasn't feeling much better

"Seth?" I croaked out, wondering where my imprint was. Almost immediately I heard footsteps running down the hall before my door burst open, my precious pup on the other side. He sprinted over to me, throwing his body across mine as tears began to slide down his cheeks.

"Shhh, shhh. I'm all right." I said, using my good arm to stroke his hair. I could see Edward standing in the doorway.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, moving my arm around Seth and pulling him to me.

"Almost 36 hours. We need to get some food in you, but then there are some things we need to discuss…" he said carefully.

I was a little worried. Why was Seth so distraught? My injuries weren't that bad, as I'm sure Carlisle would have explained. And why was Edward being so diplomatic with his word choice? My thoughts were cut off by my stomach's angry noises. I'd used up a lot of energy in the fight and my body was angry that I hadn't eaten since.

With Seth's help, I managed to limp my way to the kitchen. The motherly one, Esme I think, had cooked a large amount of food. Funny that they kept all of this around since they didn't actually eat. I guess it was probably for Bella, but I wasn't going to complain.

I quickly inhaled the massive plate in front of me, not paying attention to anything else for a moment. The food was tasty, but I'm pretty sure that I'd have enjoyed anything right now. As I cleared my plate, I looked up to see Seth just picking at his food. It's never a good sign when our appetites are down.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Paul, can you come in here?" Edward called from the living room.

I got up and hobbled over to him, sitting down on their couch, Seth right beside me.

"We have a lot to talk about…" Edward began.

"What has you two acting so weirdly?" I was nervous. Seth was bothered and I could sense something off within Edward.

"Well…things didn't go as planned yesterday and…Sam is pinning a lot of the blame on you." Edward explained.

"Is he really that angry that I broke from the pack? It wasn't exactly what I intended to do, but I had told him that he couldn't keep me from Seth" I responded, my temper beginning to rise.

"Well, if it was just the simple thing of you becoming a rogue wolf, I think it'd be easier to address, even if it was banishment. But…" Edward paused, looking at Seth.

I felt the sadness rolling off of Seth. "During the battle, we took some hits" Seth muttered. "Jake got broken up pretty bad, but fortunately Carlisle was able to get to him. He's still out of it, but he'll recover. Unfortunately…" Seth paused as he began to cry again.

"God Seth, what happened?" I asked, dreading what I was about to hear.

"Jared…Jared didn't make it" he whispered, barely collecting himself to string together the words.

No...I refused to believe it. How could Jared be gone? He was such a good fighter…

"The wave that attacked them was Victoria's last push." Edward began again. "She sent everyone she had to keep the pack and my family occupied while she came after us. The sheer numbers were overwhelming, especially after how many they'd already fought. Everyone else survived, but Jared ended up too far out in front. There was nothing anyone could do." He concluded almost silently.

Fuck. I felt the weight of the news beginning to drag me down. One of my brothers hadn't survived. Even though we had all thought about it, I don't think that anyone had imagined what the loss would feel like. Yet another of the few people that I cared about was now gone…

"To top things off, Sam is convinced that it's your fault. He says that you abandoned them and that you should've let us fend off Victoria. We know it wouldn't have ended well on the mountain, but he's too unstable to think rationally. Jared was his best friend. The treaty is the only thing keeping him from coming here right now." Edward went on. It hurt that Jared was gone, but for Sam to blame me for it? Maybe had I been there, he would've made it...

I looked over at Seth, who was still shaken by everything that had happened. As much as it hurt to lose Jared, I knew that I'd made the choice that was necessary. Seth was my whole world, and protecting him was my only priority. I didn't want to turn my back on the pack to do it, but if it came down to them or him, my choice wouldn't change, as painful as it would be.

"So, what's going to happen?" I asked.

"Well, we've kept Seth here and told him not to phase. I know that Sam is waiting on him to link back up so that he can use an alpha order to bring him home, at the very least. He wants to hold a pack trial." Edward said solemnly. His mind-reading abilities had really shown some light on what was happening, but I was still lost.

"What's a pack trial?" I questioned.

"From what I've picked up, it's where he presents evidence to the pack against your actions while you were there and when you broke the connection. If they find you to be a traitor…there's only one conclusion." He explained.

"And you think that they will vote against me." I stated. If he could see into their minds, he knew what was going to happen.

"It's in his favor right now. He only needs a majority of the pack to be present and with you gone, that means 5 wolves. Embry can't leave Jake's side while he's hurt recovering, not that Sam would dare ask him to come, and if Seth goes near Sam, I don't know that he can fight the Alpha command like you do. Leah won't fight her dominant on this one and Quil is grieving enough to be swayed. He was close to Jared, and without Embry or Jake there to talk to him…I think Sam will find a way. Even if the two younger ones are on your side, he'd have the numbers advantage." Edward concluded.

This was bad. "So, can we wait it out? I'd like to think that if Jake and Embry were back, I'd have a chance." I argued. Why did we have to play this out on Sam's terms? I understood he was angry, but he had been blinded by his rage. I had no intention of walking into his trap.

"That would work, but there's a problem. I wouldn't have let it happen if I had known that he'd be deranged enough to do it, but...Bella is on the reservation. He's already threatened that if I don't bring you to the boundary line tomorrow night, I won't see her again…" he trailed off.

God…what had I become? Sam was targeting those around me to get me to come to him.

"This isn't the Sam I know…" I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

"You're right. This isn't Sam at all. His Alpha wolf has completely overridden his common sense. He's allowed the anger and grief to fuel the wolf and right now he's lost inside his own mind while the wolf controls him." Edward said somberly.

So, this was it. I couldn't fight Edward like this and Seth couldn't phase without playing directly into Sam's hand. Edward may not have had the bond of an imprint, but I knew that he'd do whatever it took to protect Bella, just as I would for Seth.

"You're right about that part…" he sighed. It was still weird that he could do that…

"I guess there's no option. I appreciate what you've done for Seth and I, but I know that you have to protect the one you love as well. One way or another, I'll be facing Sam tomorrow night." I said with a sigh.

"No Paul, you can't!" Seth exclaimed. "I'll fight Edward. I can fight Sam's orders. You don't have to do this!" he cried out.

"I love you Seth, but you can't fight Edward. You're strong, but as soon as you phase, you'll be fighting Sam as well and even if you broke his order, it'd distract you enough for Edward to get the upper hand. Not even I could handle the two-front attack." I explained, trying to show that it wasn't weakness, but instead a situation that none of us could escape.

"Seth, I value your friendship. Your willingness to help Bella and your tolerance of my kind are unlike anything else I've seen. You truly have the purest mind I've ever come across. But I still can't risk losing Bella. She's as important to me as Paul is to you." Edward said. I was surprised by how quickly he had befriended Seth, but the fact remained: Bella was his world.

Seth curled up against me, sobbing into my chest. He knew it was true. If it came to it, Edward would do whatever it took for Bella.

"I'll go willingly." I told Edward. There was no point in trying to come up with a plan to deceive him. There was only one way for this to unfold.

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><p>Well...I did something I never thought I'd do. I killed a wolf. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but I think that it was necessary. Hope that nobody gets too angry about the changes or my decisions within the chapter. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say, one way or another.<p>

The song for this chapter was "War Song' by OAR. I think in general, it's self-explanatory, but it delves into the mind of someone who's off to war. Considering the chapter's contents, I feel that it fits pretty well.


	15. Chapter 15: Viva La Vida

AN: I actually expected to take more heat for the previous chapter. You all seemed to take it quite well, and for that I'm glad. The battle was quite different, and left us with a bit of a problematic situation. Hope you find this chapter to be a satisfying followup. If you find it worthwhile, I appreciate any reviews or feedback!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

Hank's Lady: Glad you liked it! I didn't think that anyone would see that one coming. Now it's time for the resolution! It's not too late for me to be cruel to them. Guess you'll see soon enough!

rAbiDmutt03: Yes, I am mean. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was prepared from the beginning, but it did flow as I wrote the chapter!

Phoenix xxxxx: Heh, sorry. I'm an angst writer!

Abysslullaby: Glad you liked my angst. And yeah, poor Jared...

iJeedai: As much as I love Paul, I am quite cruel to him. Survive one fight, move on to the next one! Let's see if he can weasel out again!

oh2byoung: Good to hear you liked it. Sarah said that you'd be angry about it hehe. Hope you like this one!

ant1gon3: Glad that you found it to be it to be understandable and enjoyable. I always felt like the idea that everyone could escape unscathed was unrealistic, so I had to be a little cruel about it...

yes-my-name-is-seth: Glad you liked it! Tried to get another one up pretty quickly and I hope you like it!

Ratts: Good to hear you enjoyed it! I like to think that I can change things up enough to make it entertaining. Paul has suffered quite a bit throughout this one, but you're right: a lot of people could be blamed. All up to interpretation!

TurnItUp03: It's a habit of mine hehe. Glad you didn't hate it. Even if the subject matter wasn't particularly endearing, I'll accept that you found it to be well-written at least. Hope you find the resolution to be satisfying!

wolf lover of michigan: Good to hear that you enjoyed the story so far! Hope you continue to like it!

Nikki Neurotic: Glad you were surprised. And sadly, Jared isn't coming back. Will anyone else be joining him?

RiseOfTheLemming: Yeah, I feel bad for Jared. It was necessary though. Hope you like this one!

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><p>I looked down at the pup that was sleeping, snuggled up against my chest. He'd long since passed out from exhaustion. He wasn't taking this development very well. He'd cycled through several of the stages of grief, but hadn't seemed to have gotten to the key one: acceptance.<p>

It had started with denial.

"You're not going out to face him!" Seth had yelled. "This doesn't have to happen!"

After reasoning with him further as to why Edward, who I couldn't blame in the situation, would make sure it did, Seth entered the second stage.

Anger.

"I'll kill him! I won't let him be the reason that we have to go!" he growled. He was visibly shaking and was clearly on the verge of phasing.

"Look at you, Seth. I appreciate this, but if you phase, you'll be taken away from me, either by Edward or by Sam. Do you want to be ordered away or make me feel even worse for not being able to protect you?" I pleaded. It calmed him down, but he persisted.

"Please Edward! Can't you sneak onto the reservation and get her? Why do you have to let us play into this? I thought we were friends!" Seth begged.

Edward flinched at that. "I'm sorry. I can't enter the reservation. The treaty is the only thing keeping you separated as it is." Edward rationalized. "Plus, he's keeping an eye on her…" he said, looking at the ground.

Seth was out of ideas. He'd begun to cry, sobbing deeply as I pulled him into my chest. I took him up to Edward's room, lying down on the bed and pulling him against me. I don't know how long he was crying, but he finally passed out in my arms.

I lay there watching his chest rising and falling. I knew he hadn't slept any since the fight, and the physical and emotional strain had finally worn him down. Then again, this was only the beginning. What the hell was I going to do?

Was there any way out of this? The pain in my leg hadn't diminished and my arm wasn't going to be mended by tomorrow. There was no way to take on Edward, who also had his loved one to fight for. And if he was right about Leah and Quil taking Sam's side…well, I wouldn't be able to go up against all three of them. I wasn't one to be hopeless, but I had no idea what the hell was going to happen.

I lay there all night, not getting any sleep. I guess the day and a half I'd been passed out – combined with the thought of what tomorrow held – had left me restless. At some point Edward had decided to come in. I guess my restless thoughts were filling his head.

"You're going to try to fight Sam, aren't you?" He asked. What the hell was the point of asking a question that he already knew the answer to?

"I'm not going to just let him kill me without a fight. I can only hope he's got a weakness. He can't be 100% after the battle." I said angrily.

"He'll use the pack. Once he's gotten the vote, he will have all 4 of them at his disposal. Even though he can't command them to vote a specific way, he can enforce the punishment without any restraints." Edward responded.

I snorted. I know he was just using what Sam's mind was telling him, but he was putting a damper on my attempts to come up with a way to survive.

"Sorry. Not meaning to be a buzzkill, but I'm trying to help you however I can. Sam's wolf knows the traditions. He knows that he has to convince the others to willingly vote you a traitor before he can use his power. Once that happens, there'll never be a truly fair fight. And in your condition…" Edward trailed off, not needing to finish the statement.

I pulled Seth tighter against me as Edward left the room. My former Alpha was no fool. Even if I was at full strength, he had 4 other wolves with him. If I attacked before the vote, he'd have all the evidence he needed to convict me as a traitor. If I waited it out, he'd be able to order them anyway. My only hope was to sway Quil that killing me wasn't the answer to fixing this. Yeah, trying to reason with a grieving wolf that'd just lost a good friend was my best idea. Great.

I lay there the rest of the night, taking in the contact with my imprint for as long as I could. When he finally woke up, he pulled himself even tighter into my chest.

"Is this the end?" he mumbled.

"I hope not pup, but I don't know how much hope there is that I'll be able to sway Quil." I sighed.

We stayed in Edward's room for most of the day. Neither of us wanted to go out and face the world. We talked about everything that had happened over the past several months. I could honestly say that he had made me happier than I'd been in my entire life. Every moment of contact, every kiss, and the moment that we made love had combined to show me how to love and care for another person. Seth was everything to me.

As evening approached, the delicious smell of food drifted into the room. I heard our stomach's growl simultaneously, which still made me chuckle, even given the situation.

"Come on. Smells like someone's decided to cook something. It'd be rude not to check it out." I joked, pulling him out of the bed.

We walked down to see Esme walking out of the kitchen, carrying heaps of food. She gestured for us to sit at the table, which we did immediately. She began quickly bringing out plates of food and setting them before us. It was a feast but I couldn't shake the feeling that this might be my last meal. I thanked her as Seth & I began to dig in, both too hungry and caught up in our thoughts to talk.

Darkness fell and I opened the door to leave the house. Seth and Edward both stepped out with me. I looked over at my imprint, seeing the terror in his eyes.

"You're not coming with me" I told him flatly.

"What! You're crazy if you think that I'm going to let you go alone!" he cried out.

"You'll be forced away, and that'll be even worse. Even if you found a way to break his power, what then? We know that neither of us are prepared to take on the pack. I want you safely out of harm's way." I insisted.

"Just like always, you never want me to get hurt! Do you really think I'm going to keep living if he kills you!" he sobbed.

"I hope you will. For me…" I whispered.

"I won't leave you…" Seth choked out.

"Listen Seth. As your dominant, I'm telling you that I don't want you to be there when I face Sam and the pack. I need you to go away." I said commandingly. I'd thought this out. I had no doubt that Seth would know what was happening, even if he wasn't there. But he'd beat himself up if he failed to fight Sam's order. The alternative was that he saw it or worse…tried to fight Sam. Ordering him to stay away was the only way I could protect him. He'd do what his imprint needed willingly.

Sure enough, he took off into the woods after pulling me into a deep kiss. He wasn't phasing, but he was a quick runner, even as a human. He was putting himself as far away from me as he could. It hurt to see him go, but I knew that this was for the best. I wasn't going down without a fight and I didn't need him to see it, one way or another. Edward just nodded at me and we began to walk towards the boundary line.

As we neared the clearing, I paused. I unstrapped my arm, letting it hang freely. It hadn't fully mended, but it was in a lot better shape than it had been. The key was that I couldn't allow it to be seen as a weakness. That business being taken care of, we continued on until we arrived at the neutral zone.

The pack stood in the center of the field. Sam was pacing back and forth, a scowl covering his face. Leah looked torn, following her imprint with her eyes. Bella was attempting to console a very broken up Quil, while Collin and Brady stood to the side with their heads down. Sam looked up as we approached, fury boiling in his eyes.

"Didn't bring Seth with you?" He snarled. Leah looked relieved at the fact that her brother wasn't here.

"I didn't want him to see whatever it is that's going to happen tonight. As if you weren't going to order him away anyway." I growled back at him.

"Fine. Here leech. Take the girl and be gone. We've got business to take care of." Sam commanded.

Edward looked at me hesitantly, but went over and picked Bella up before walking back towards his house. "I'm sorry…" he muttered.

"I understand" I thought back.

"Alright, let's go. It's time to take you to the chamber." The Alpha said, turning and beginning his walk towards the reservation.

"What, don't want to do this here?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Oh no. It's a formal trial. This type of conflict can only be resolved in the Council's Chamber. They won't be there, but it is the key to our tribe's governance." he explained, seemingly aggravated that I'd dare think that the field was an appropriate place to handle this.

I nodded, following as he led his pack. They surrounded me in order to prevent my escape, shepherding me towards the inevitable. I tried to hide my limp from them, but I know that the two younger wolves noticed. Leah and Quil were distracted, but the pups were watching me sympathetically. I had helped them after all.

After a long, silent walk, we finally reached the center of town. We had passed no one at this late hour. Sam and I faced each other in the center of the room while the pack stood to the side.

"We are here today to determine if Paul has committed one of the greatest crimes possible to our kind. Betrayal of the Pack." Sam began. "What do you have to say in your defense?" He sneered.

"I left the pack in order to save my imprint. The army would have killed him and the other two members of the pack that you say I betrayed had I not done it. While I don't believe that war can be boiled down to numbers, my actions did save more lives than it cost." I stated evenly.

"Allegedly. There were 3 wolves there, as well as a mind-reading vampire. There's a good chance that they could have handled that small group. You ran from the main battlefield, where we were drastically outnumbered. If you hadn't broken the line, Jared would still be here!" Sam shot back.

"I did what any imprint should do. I put him first. Just like you would've done for Leah." I retorted, trying to bring some piece of him to the surface.

"And how did you do it? You broke away from the pack. You left your brothers on the field to fend for themselves. You didn't care about them. You only cared about yourself and your relationship with your imprint. The fact that you value him more than the pack is the only way you could break the connection!" Sam barked.

"You're right, Sam. I do value Seth more than anyone else. He's the center of my universe. If he were gone, I'd have nothing left. So yes, I did leave to go save him. Maybe if you'd been a more capable Alpha and come up with a better plan, Jared would still be here!" I yelled back, finally beginning to lose my temper.

We bantered back and forth, both of our frustrations rising. I attempted to implore that this wasn't what Jared would have wanted, but that made Sam even angrier. "How dare you try to make him out to be on your side!" he'd growled. This went on for a short while, the rest of the pack watching on in silence.

"ENOUGH!" He eventually snarled. "It's time to vote. If you believe that Paul is guilty of betraying the pack – after he admitted to valuing Seth over everyone else – then stand behind me. If you do not, stay where you are." He commanded.

Leah hesitantly walked over to her imprint. The pups stayed rooted to where they were, not even thinking of heading towards Sam. Quil, as expected, was the wild card. His red eyes glanced between me and his Alpha. I tried to plead with my eyes, but it was to no avail. He slowly walked over and stood behind Sam.

"Well then, the pack has found you guilty of being a traitor. There is only one punishment for such an act." He said loudly. "Everyone phase." His command resonated through his pack.

I followed suit, just as the larger wolf leapt at me. The tight quarters of this room were not ideal for evading attack. Instead I elected to latch onto him as he neared, biting into his side before he could land on me. He yanked free and we began circling each other. Surprisingly the pack all stood there watching. I guess he wanted to do this alone if he could. The Alpha's pride might give me a shot.

I noticed that he was favoring his left side a bit. Maybe he was still just as beat up as I was. It was my only chance, as the adrenaline was quickly beginning to wear off. My own injuries meant that I couldn't last for too long before the pain took over. As he began another approach, I quickly jerked right, barreling into his front left leg. The howl I heard was enough to prove me right. He collapsed onto the ground, all of his weight crashing down as I heard the crack of his bone. Unfortunately it had been my bad arm as well and I felt it refracture, causing pain to shoot throughout my body. I didn't have time to dwell on it though. Before he could realize my weakness, I threw myself on top of him, pinning him to the ground. I wasn't trying to kill him, but I locked onto the back of his neck to keep him from being able to thrash. Maybe if he lost I could get ou –

That thought process was interrupted as I suddenly was knocked off of the beaten Alpha. I felt as teeth sunk into all four of my limbs simultaneously, blood flowing freely from all sides. Edward had said that he'd use the pack, and I guess he was right. The immense amount of pain was more than I could take. I felt myself phasing back, collapsing onto the ground. The wolves let me go, stepping back as Sam's wolf stood over top of me on its 3 good legs. His jaw began its descent to my throat, only to be interrupted by the loud slam of the door being thrown open.

"Stop this now!" I heard, Seth's voice ringing through the air. I looked up to see he and Embry slowly making their way into the hall, Jake being supported between them. Sam quickly phased back, preparing to address the newcomers.

"There was a pack vote. By a 3-2 majority, it was decided that he betrayed us. I have every right to kill him." Sam said authoritatively.

Jake was the one to speak up to him, even if he was still being held up on either side. "You held a pack trial under the pretenses of getting what you wanted. Even if you technically had the right, there's no honor in it. But we're here now, and since the punishment hasn't been fulfilled, the verdict can still be changed. And the 3 of us vote in Paul's favor, overturning your previous ruling." He said calmly.

"But – " Sam began.

"But nothing, Sam. The vote is now 5-3. You have no grounds to harm him further." Jake interrupted. The other four wolves phased back, none of them looking pleased at what they'd helped with. Seth ran to me, wrapping his arms around my bleeding body.

"You did it pup. Good thinking" I whispered as he lifted me against him. Embry had begun ripping his shirt to wrap around all of my wounds. I was feeling weak, but at least I was still alive.

I looked over at Sam. The anger still hadn't abated from his eyes.

"Fine, you're right. But there's still another issue. He's a rogue wolf. Even if I can't kill him, he's still banished from La Push." He said angrily.

Not exactly ideal, but I'd take it. As long as I had Seth, I didn't care if I left La Push. I'd miss everyone, but I'd be able to deal with it. It'd be harder for my imprint, who'd lived here forever. I had no doubt that he'd go with me though.

"No he doesn't. Paul doesn't have to be a rogue." Jake responded.

"Jake, what are you talking about? You can't be suggesting that I return to Sam's pack…" I muttered. Had he lost his mind?

"No, Paul. Sam has completely destroyed your faith in him as Alpha. He allowed himself to be controlled by his wolf. For that reason, I'm hereby accepting my heritage as the true Alpha. Sam, you have a choice. You can relinquish your position or I will begin my own pack." Jake stated with an authority that I'd never heard from him before.

"I will bow to no one!" he growled out. His wolf was still on the surface.

"Fine then. I open my pack to all of you that wish to pledge your loyalty to me as Alpha" Jake responded.

"I will follow your leadership Jake." I said strongly as I pulled myself up, still having to lean heavily on Seth. His nod was simple, but it changed everything. We had found a way out of this mess after all…

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><p>Well everyone, I hope that wasn't too predictable of a way out. I'm pretty sure that none of you would've been happy had I let Sam kill Paul hehe. My song choice is Coldplay's "Viva La Vida." I think that the song adequately describes Sam's existence in this chapter. Also, the literal translation seems pretty fitting to the ending.<p>

Speaking of the end, I feel like that is the point that this story is reaching. I expect that the next chapter will be the last. Hopefully it's satisfying, and I appreciate everyone who has stuck through this story. I know it's been rocky at times. As always, I appreciate your reviews!


	16. Chapter 16: Paradise

AN: Yeah, it really was predictable. Still, wanted to get Jake to the Alpha position and find a way out without killing anyone. As a change-up, I'm going to use the pre-chapter note to say that the song for this chapter is Coldplay's "Paradise." Yeah, I'm ending with two songs by the same band, but I couldn't imagine a more fitting song for the conclusion. Also, yes, I did say conclusion. This is the final chapter of "The Dark Wolf," with a closing Author's Note at the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy!

PS: Because I know that some of you wanted a little more, this is a reminder that the story is rated M for Mature ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters and all things noticeable belong to SM. The song in this one belongs to Coldplay.

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><p>Reviews:<p>

Ratts: Good to hear that you enjoyed it. And yes, sadly this is the end. I'll go into full details about another story at the end. Hope that you find this ending to be satisfactory!

tinker03: Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the support throughout the story!

oh2byoung: Glad you liked it bud. I knew I couldn't do it either. I'm too partial to him to allow him to die like that. At least this story I am ;) Hope you enjoy the finale!

RiseOfTheLemming: Glad that you found it to be a good read! And yeah, I shifted a lot of hate to Sam it seems. Keep in mind though, it wasn't specifically "Sam" though (if it makes it any better). And the song exchange...might not have worked quite so well for that chapter ;)

Hank's Lady: What can I say, I am a softy. You and I both knew that I couldn't really end Paul. I like him too much for that, even if I threatened it at times. Glad you enjoyed it and I hope you find this one satisfying!

PerfectlyODD: I really created a pretty evil Sam didn't I? At first everyone hated Leah, but I guess I diverted that a bit hehe. And killing Paul was just something I couldn't deal with.

Serena90: Hope my policy about the ability to live without an imprint at least made some sense. If not, I apologize if it messed up the story for you.

ant1gon3: Yeah, it was pretty much funneled in to that outcome. I guess my creative juices chose the obvious escape. Thanks for your support throughout!

Phoenix xxxxx: Decided to be a nice guy on that one. And that would work, but I'm not a cat person. The evil laugh for sure though. Hehe ;)

iJeedai: I decided that killing one wolf was enough for now. And maybe Sam will be able to be dealt with. Sadly, this is the last chapter, so I guess if it's going to happen, it has to be now! haha

TurnItUp03: Yeah, it wasn't my most creative moment. I just felt it was the right way to move Jake to his rightful position, especially since he's not going to do it to protect Bella. Hope you enjoy the conclusion!

Nikki Neurotic: I think you win the award for single most visibly excited review of the story. Glad that you enjoyed it, and it did feel nice to put Sam in his place hehe. Hope you like how it all ends!

wolf lover of michigan: Glad that you enjoyed it. Here's the final update!

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><p>The next few days were a blur. The biggest thing weighing on everyone's mind was Jared's funeral. The event was well-attended by the town. Everyone knew the Cameron family and Jared had always been an upstanding citizen. He constantly tried to make friends with everyone, so it was no surprise that he had touched so many. The council had made up some kind of story about what had happened, but I didn't really pay attention to that. A certain piece of me still wondered what would have happened if I hadn't run up the mountain.<p>

Aside from that emotional downturn, things weren't going too badly. The transition of power went surprisingly well. As a true Alpha, Jake didn't have to do anything to prove himself to anyone else. I was the first to officially join his new pack and he quickly asked me to be his Beta. After a nod from Seth, I accepted. If nothing else, I owed it to Jake for saving me in the chamber. I also had no doubt that he'd ever attempt to force my loyalty into play when it came to Seth. We were all intricately connected. Jake was essentially my brother-in-law, and considering his relationship with Seth over the years, the same could be said in reverse.

As you would expect, Seth and Embry jumped ship immediately. Doesn't really require much explanation thanks to the wonderful world of imprinting. Neither of them had much respect left for Sam's leadership anyway. Quil and the pups were there soon after the funeral. Collin & Brady had never wanted anything to do with the trial, especially considering the fact that they'd been on the mountain that Sam had been content to let fend for itself. Quil had been emotionally distraught and considering I didn't fully view myself as innocent, I understood how Sam had convinced him. He begged me for forgiveness countless times, but I told him that it wasn't necessary. I was ready to put this completely in the past.

Sam and Leah were the only two that didn't join. Sam's wolf refused to bow to another Alpha. He'd been in power for far too long. Ultimately, once Sam's mind returned to the forefront, he was remorseful about how he had acted. It had cost him his friends, his pack, and a lot of respect. Rather than creating tension with us, he decided to retire from phasing. Leah was perfectly happy with giving it up, so they both turned to living normal lives. Sam was offered a position on the council, as the Uley name still carried power in the tribe.

I was happy for them. I know how hurt Sam had been when Jared had gone down. They were best friends and it's easy to blame someone when tragedy strikes. We didn't really talk, but there wasn't any hostility in the air between us.

The years went by and our pack grew closer. It wasn't long before Seth moved in with me. I had the house and between insurance and my mom's financial prowess, I knew that taking care of him would never be an issue. Jake and Embry were also living together, settling out in a nice house that the pack had helped build. Collin and Brady each found imprints and stopped phasing shortly thereafter. Neither of them wanted to leave the reservation, and we still considered them our brothers, even if they had given up the duty.

The Cullens had left shortly after everything had calmed down. They felt guilty for all of the trouble they had caused us. I knew Edward beat himself up about turning me over to Sam, but he also knew that I understood exactly why he did it. Still, with them gone, we hadn't had any new wolves. The occasional rogue kept us active, but there was never something big enough to trigger the gene in anyone else.

Our relationship with Sam remained relatively neutral for a long while. I could tell that it bothered Seth at times. He had always really cared about his sister and even though they still occasionally talked, it wasn't hard to figure out that he missed her being in his life. Leah had an announcement that changed the dynamic, however. It'd been about 4 years since the newborn battle when she knocked on our door.

Seth opened the door and pulled his sister into a hug. "Nice to see you, Leah. What brings you here today?" I asked casually. I hadn't held any hard feelings towards her since she helped pull me out of my depression.

"I have an announcement to make." She started quietly. We waited patiently as she gathered herself.

"You're going to be an uncle, Seth." She said, beaming at him.

Seth's eyes welled up with tears quickly as he picked her up and spun her around, eliciting a squeal from the older girl. They talked for over an hour before she had to go. This proved to be what the siblings needed to get close again, and I was just happy for Seth.

The pregnancy did spark an interesting thought though. Considering how limited the bloodline was, Sam was likely to have the next Alpha if the time called for it. Jake & Embry, as well as Seth & I, couldn't have kids, which was a dead end to the gene for our lines. Collin and Brady would both be able to pass it on, and Quil might someday as well, but the pack might be quite limited in the future.

I think that concept was something that kept Jake phasing. He cared deeply about this tribe and always wanted it watched over. Embry didn't have an issue with the idea either. I'd once brought it up with Seth. He wasn't sure if he wanted to live forever, which we could do without much suspicion on the reservation. For now, however, he was content with maintaining our youth. He didn't want to leave Jake's pack and I was perfectly fine with whatever my pup wanted to do. Whatever he wanted would always work for me.

Which brings me to where we are this afternoon. I'm standing in a tux in my room, about to head to the cliffs. I hate having to wear this many layers of clothes and I see Embry fidgeting as well. We head out, driving the short distance to one of my favorite spots. When I arrive, I can see several rows of chairs lined up, already filled by several people that understand. Sam and a very pregnant Leah, Quil, and the pups with their imprints are all there. Even the elders decided to show up. It's all of the people that we've grown so close to over the years. I see Seth, already waiting at the front with Jake by his side. As I look at his beautiful form, I think back to what brought us to this moment…

**Flashback**

_It had only been a few weeks since Leah's announcement. I was surprised that she wasn't here. She'd been making up as much time as she could with her brother. I heard chatter coming from the living room. I'd just finished patrolling and the weather was perfect. The windows were open, so I could easily here what the two closest people in my life were talking about._

"_Do you think either of them will ever ask us to do it?" Embry asked._

"_I don't know. I mean, Paul doesn't know anything about tribal ceremonies and I just don't want to pressure him into anything. I love how things are." Seth replied._

"_I know, but it just seems unofficial or something. I know none of us can get married legally, but I would like to show that what we have is real in some way." My brother went on._

"_I agree. Someday maybe, but I just don't want him to get stressed out or feel like he has to do it because I want to. We'll see though" I heard Seth say, sighing a bit._

_So, our submissives wanted to have something formal? I'd be down with that. With that thought, I took off back towards Jake's house. I wanted my brother to have the same happiness and I knew Jake wouldn't want him to feel any hesitations about their relationship. So began our planning. He explained about the ceremonies that the elders could perform to recognize an imprint. We decided that considering how close we were, we should do everything together. We went and got rings, simply crafted, but elegant nonetheless. They were distinct and fit our respective wolves perfectly. The one I got for Seth was a solid gold that would mix perfectly with his skin. On the inside, I had an engraving that read: "Seth, you are my eternal love. -Paul" Jake had elected for a silver band for Embry, and I agreed that it fit his personality well. He had always preferred it to gold. Jake and I even discussed the possibility of sharing the ceremony. The concept sounded amazing, and so we put our plan into action._

_It had to start with a proposal. Traditions are for a reason, right? I took Seth to the same restaurant that we'd had our first date at. It seemed fitting, even if a little corny. I couldn't ask Embry if it was a good idea though. Jake had similar plans with his imprint tonight, so we had to play things out by ear._

_Dinner went by peacefully. We were in a secluded area, far away from anyone else. After a while, I began to get a little nervous. I knew he wanted to do this, but it still didn't completely quell the fear of rejection._

"_Do you remember this place?" I asked. We'd been here a few times over the years, but I wondered if he recognized its significance as well._

_He looked at me incredulously. "Are you kidding with me, Paul? How could I forget the place that we first went out to?" he laughed._

"_Well…I brought you here for a reason tonight" I said softly, resting my hand on his._

_He looked at me nervously and I slid out of the booth, reaching into my pocket._

"_From the first time I laid eyes on you, I knew that we were going to be something special. I didn't understand what it was at the time, but I can't imagine my world without you. Would you be willing to spend the rest of your life with a hothead like me?" I asked, opening the ring box._

_His eyes were shimmering, barely holding in his tears. A smile overtook his face as he nodded. I slid the ring onto his finger and pulled him up as I stood. We shared a deep kiss and just held each other for several minutes before heading out of the restaurant. I'd been smart enough to arrange for the check to be covered before we started._

_The drive home was quite relaxing. Seth had pulled himself up against me and sat there spinning the ring on his finger. I don't think the reality had set in and he was still caught up in what had happened. I knew that I had done the right thing. As we neared La Push, I felt a buzz in my pocket. It was a text from Jake. "Success?" I quickly typed out a "Yep" and felt the reply come before I even put the phone down. "Me too. Meet up tomorrow?" he asked. "Sure thing." I responded before putting the phone away._

_As we walked into the house, Seth pulled my head down to his and we locked lips. It was slow and controlled, reflecting the intimacy of the night. I felt us gravitating up the stairs and suddenly I was lying on the bed with Seth pressed against me. I could feel that he was just as eager as I was. He slowly unbuttoned my shirt, kissing down my chest. He was sure to linger just above my navel. He knew that it was one of the spots that could make me writhe. Devious little pup._

_I quickly flipped him over onto his back, pulling off his shirt. I attacked his neck, nipping at it and making him whimper. After all of these years, we were well aware of how to make each other's bodies react how we wanted. I returned to his lips as I began to undo his belt between us. It didn't take long for me to have him completely naked below me and I wasted no time in doing the same._

_I slowly ground my hips into him, driving my aching member into his. He gasped and I used the surprise to drive my tongue deeper into his mouth. His moans still drove me crazy._

_Suddenly I felt myself being flipped over onto my back. Seth pulled away from me, running his tongue down the center of my chest. He got to my waist and took a firm hold of my shaft. After licking the tip, he plunged down entirely, encasing me in his warm mouth. The swirling tongue and suction had me squirming as I ran my hand through his hair. As he massaged my balls with his hand, he took me all the way to the base. It always shocked me that he could do that, and I felt myself getting closer. _

_Suddenly, he pulled off, knowing that he was pushing me to the edge. He grabbed the bottle of lube from the nightstand and slowly stroked me, covering me in the cool liquid. He reached around to prepare himself as well. The look on his face as he did it was one of pure ecstasy. Then he hunched over top of me, positioning his entrance right above my cock. He slowly began to lower himself, and I felt his tight warmth encompass my head. I was aching to be all the way in, but he was going tantalizingly slow. I looked up to see the glimmer in his eye as he held my hips down, preventing me from thrusting up into him. That mischievous pup was teasing me._

_He refused to let me go all the way in, slowly gyrating his hips with only a few inches of me inside him. Finally I let out a low growl and his smirk widened, but he slowly lowered himself all the way down before picking up the pace. After a few minutes, my ability to be passive was completely gone. I pulled him to me, rolling us over so that he was on the bottom. I pulled myself back out before sheathing myself inside of him, forcing him to breathily moan my name._

_I began to pump into him with vigor, enjoying the view as his head lulled from side to side. Who was he kidding? I knew he wanted it just as badly as I did. I could feel that we were both approaching our edges as I began to piston in and out at a faster pace. I felt his hands reach around me, pulling me closer. I thought he was going for a kiss, but he suddenly moved his head to the side and latched onto my neck. I could feel his teeth breaking the skin, just as he erupted between us. My wolf was furious about getting marked like that, but the combined sensations sent me over the edge, coating his insides with my essence before collapsing on top of him. _

_We held each other close, passionately kissing. After several minutes, we went and showered together, lathering each other up. I passed out with him in my arms, curled around him protectively. Seth always made me feel complete._

_We had met up with Embry and Jake the next day. We laughed as they both broke off from us, going to the porch to exchange stories. Jake and I chatted about it as well until they came back in. "So, we were wondering if you guys would want to share the ceremony. I honestly can't imagine having it without them being involved, so I think it'd be really meaningful if we shared the same special day." Seth said hopefully._

"_Of course, that'd be awesome." Jake responded, causing Embry to light up. In the next few months, we'd gotten everything organized. Jake's dad would do the ceremony at the cliffs. We'd chosen a day in the middle of the summer, right between the anniversary when I had imprinted on Seth and Embry had imprinted on Jake. Safe to say that it was Seth and Embry that had been creative enough to come up with that idea. Still, it meant a lot to all of us as we prepared to link ourselves with our imprints._

**End of Flashback**

And here we are. Seth and Jake were waiting for my brother and I. You may be thinking something about me being the bride and walking down the aisle is a weird idea. The truth is, we were all supposed to get here at the same time. I'd just been nervous and took a while getting ready, so we were a few minutes late. I know…not the best day for that to happen.

I reach the front of the ceremony and take Seth's hand in mine, just as Embry does with Jake. We turn towards Billy, who had been honored to do the ceremony. We each recited the traditional tribal vows to our respective mates. Having two couples up here at the same time was far from traditional, but what about our situation was? I couldn't imagine sharing this day with anyone else. The ceremony was elegant, but simple. Jake & I saw our rings for the first time as they were placed onto our fingers. Mine was a beautiful white gold with an inscription that read "You will always be loved. -Seth" After receiving it, I pulled my pup against me and we shared a passionate kiss as our friends applauded.

That night was a bonfire, as you should expect from a major event. The food was excellent and I was glad to be able to celebrate my love with those around me. It had been a great day and as the music played, I pulled Seth up for a slow dance. As we held each other, I stared into his eyes. I didn't need a ceremony to tell him that I loved him. I showed him that every day and would continue to do so whenever we were together.

The night ended and Seth and I had made it back to our house. Tomorrow we'd be flying to the Bahamas to spend a week together. It was just going to be the two of us and I was looking forward to spending the time with my pup away from the supernatural world. A week to just be normal and relax together sounded perfect.

Nobody knows what the future holds. I never thought that I'd find happiness like this, especially with how things were growing up, not to mention the losses I'd felt since coming to La Push. However, there was one thing that got me through it all. No matter the pain, it will always pale in comparison to my pup. No matter where I am or what I go through, as long as I have Seth, I'll be in paradise.

_**And so lying underneath those stormy skies**_

_**She'd say, "oh, ohohohoh I know the sun must set to rise"**_

Coldplay - Paradise

* * *

><p>Closing Note: Well everyone, this story has reached its end. It was an interesting experience writing an origin story and I really enjoyed getting to delve into Paul's character. I hope that you found it to be enjoyable. I know that at times the story was pretty dark, but that's what I enjoy writing. Some of the characters also may have deviated from your normal opinions of them, but I tried to address the differences as I could. Overall, I think I'm pleased with the end result of the story. If you're not, I'd love to hear what you think I could have done better.<p>

That being said, I believe that this will be the last thing that I write for a while. It's not that I don't have an idea. The spark for a dark (and I do mean more angst than this one) story came up as I wrote this. I even roughed out a chapter. I just don't plan to write it yet. Real life is changing pretty rapidly and will be chaotic for the next month, so I don't think I could dedicate myself to writing a story that I'd be satisfied with. Maybe I'll get it started, but it will likely be a little while before any postings are made, if the story ever makes it on here.

In closing, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, alerted, and favorited throughout this story. I know it may sound like authors are beating a dead horse, but it really does help to hear back from you all. I appreciate every review, whether it be simple encouragement or a detailed explanation of the good & bad of a chapter. The latter type really help to shape the story as I tried to develop throughout the process. Shoutout to PerfectlyODD, Nikki Neurotic, ant1gon3, Phoenix xxxxx, tinker03, Hannah Smith, yes-my-name-is-seth, Ratts, RiseOfTheLemming, iJeedai, TurnItUp03, oh2byoung, and Hank's Lady for being there throughout the majority of this story. I appreciate everyone else who reviewed as well, so I hope you'll forgive me if I didn't mention you specifically.

Also, to highlight a couple of people even more, I'd really like to thank Ratts, TurnItUp03, rAbiDmutt03, oh2byoung, and Hank's Lady. Talking to each of you has really helped me as I try to write, and I appreciate all of the support and advice more than you know.

Once again, thank you all for bearing with me through this story. I hope you have found it entertaining and not a complete waste of time.

Until Next Time,

-SoundShield11


	17. AN and Soundtrack

AN: Sorry for sending one more thing through this story, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to pub the new fic that I decided to finally push out. If you're in the mood for a dark, angsty fic, my newest story is called "Fighting Murphy's Law." It's going to be an Embry/Quil story, and - if I have my way - will end up being even darker than parts of this story. Anyway, just wanted to say that I published this one sooner than I expected, so if you're interested, check it out.

Now, to give this post a little more substance, here's the soundtrack for the story.

Song - Artist

1) Iridescent - Linkin Park

2) Move Along - The All-American Rejects

3) Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

4) Name - The Goo Goo Dolls

5) Love the Way You Lie (Part 1) - Eminem ft. Rihanna

6) Love the Way You Lie (Part 2) - Rihanna ft. Eminem

7) Broken - Seether ft. Amy Lee

8) Dismantle. Repair. - Anberlin

9) The Messenger - Linkin Park

10) Two is Better than One - Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift

11) What Sarah Said - Death Cab For Cutie

12) What a Shame - Shinedown

13) Save Tonight - Eagle-Eye Cherry

14) War Song - Of A Revolution (OAR)

15) Viva La Vida - Coldplay

16) Paradise - Coldplay

Most of these songs are pretty much rock-oriented. Throw in a little 90s, add a bit of rap, and you have the soundtrack to this story. Not sure if the song idea actually worked for anyone, but it was fun listening to a lot of music in the process.


End file.
